Galactic Mistake MR Spin Off
by Black666Hunter
Summary: Not necessary to read Galactic Mistake first, this fic will stand on it's own in the same timeframe. Nine MR characters are tying to find their feet in the Clone Wars galaxy, how hard could it be? A face from their pasts, from Earth, will show them the way. Also contains BMFM fandom, Canon and OCs abound. WARNING - contains Slash! Don't like, don't read!
1. Chapter 1

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Paths cross

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Buoyed by another successful hunt, Kitty and her team were headed back to Coruscant for a short break between jobs. This job hadn't been without incident though. They were all battered and bruised, bearing more than their share of welts, cuts and burns but it all seemed insignificant in light of the knowledge that they'd snatched one of the biggest targets out from the middle of a ring of competitors. It had been a daring plan but after four failed attempts to grab the troublesome Nautolan crime lord, charged with trading in Hutt territory without permission, they were running out of options fast.

The risky swoop and snatch plan was their last hope. It was a crazy plan, making use of some kit that the Martian mechanical team had installed. Based of a piece of equipment Emily had once owned, a Maghook, it was mounted over the belly hatch for cargo loading but it could be used to swing a person from. Harnessing up, Dogma swallowed his nerves as he was attached to the magnetic head, a secondary line attaching to the cable just in case the magnetic head failed.

Prudii went in all guns blazing, keeping her aim well away from their target to avoid accidentally killing him. On her signal, Dogma took the jump, opening fire on the other Bounty Hunters below as he flew through the air. Reaching the crest of his swing, he reached out and grabbed the cowering brown skinned Nautolan from among his spooked bodyguards. Slapping the retract button on his harness, Dogma grunted as a wild shot caught him in the side, most of the power taken by his armour but he'd definitely feel that one later. Disappearing inside the ship, Dogma handed their prisoner off to Kitty and knelt on the deck, left hand pressed to the wound on his side as Tup removed the harness.

Handing him over to the capable hands of the ruling council of Glee Anslem, his watery homeworld, they turned and made for the galactic capital of Coruscant, looking forward to catching up with the family now there was time. It had been nearly three years since they'd last been back on Coruscant with time to spare so there were a lot of people they hoped to catch up with before picking up another job and getting back to work. Tup and Dogma were particularly looking forward to seeing some of their brothers and going back to being just another couple of faces in among millions of clones.

Relaxing in the common room, Kitty looked up from the datapad her mother, Emily, had given her five years ago, back when she'd first started hunting. It had been a parting gift, hunting advice from a retired Bounty Hunter to her young daughter, the next generation of hunters.

'Ah, mom. I hope life on Coruscant is treating you well, it's not easy out here but I'm managing.' Kitty uttered, scanning the information again. She'd read it so many times but every time she looked at the information from her mother, she found a new snippet of help.

Hearing a soft grunt, her gaze was pulled to the rough yet tender image on the couch as Dogma gently smoothed a fresh bacta dressing over the deep burn on Tup's shoulder. Battle scarred and calloused hands that had killed before were so tender with Tup's injuries. A lucky shot, it had scored between the chestplate strap and his shoulder bell, burning deep but doing no serious harm thankfully.

'Kitty, my long range scanners are picking up a damaged ship floating just off our designated path. Should I drop out of hyperspace to render assistance?' Prudii asked, her holo-self appearing in the corner.

'Have you got a ship ID?' Kitty asked, swivelling around to face the hologram.

'Negative, the vessel is not broadcasting.'

'Drop us out Prudii and approach slowly. Remain ready to jump back to hyperspace though; we don't know what's out there.' Kitty instructed, rocking to her feet and stretching.

'As you wish, Kitty.' Prudii nodded, hologram fading out again.

'Come on you two; let's go see what Prudii found.' Kitty grinned, heading for the bridge at a jog.

'Right behind you Kitty.' Tup replied, working into a fresh shirt as they gave chase.

Gliding to a smooth stop close to the stricken ship, Prudii scanned it again, searching for life forms onboard and trying to get an ID on the vessel. It had clearly seen some hard action, the engine room had a large hole breaching the hull, the cockpit windows were shattered and the larger hull was scorched with some very serious battle damage.

'Someone had a really bad day.' Dogma remarked, taking in the heavy damage.

'I am reading five life signs onboard. One just outside the cockpit, another near the engine room and three in the central area.' Prudii reported, bringing up a schematic of the ship and highlighting the crew. 'By my calculations, the vessel will lose integrity in under an hour.'

'Bring us in closer Prudii. We have to help.' Kitty instructed, holding up her hand to silence any arguments from the men at her back. 'With a ship like that, we're either rescuing valuable hostages or capturing dangerous competitors. Either way, we come out on top. A ransom or less competition for the credits.'

'Smart thinking Kitty.' Tup nodded, hoping to hell this didn't blow up in their faces.

'We'll cage them for now, just until we figure out what's going on.' Kitty added, turning and striding from the bridge as Prudii docked with the larger ship.

Armouring up for their own protection against whoever was inside the larger ship and just in case the hull lost integrity before they had the group offloaded. The trio headed for the airlock, waiting for Prudii to make a connection and use her boarding equipment to force entry.

'Tup, you head for the engine bay. Dogma, central area. I'll get the pilot.' she directed, donning her helmet and resting one hand on her pistol.

'I hope these five are worth the risk.' Dogma uttered, voicing Tup's concerns as well.

'It'll be fine, we've done crazier shit that this.' Kitty replied, glancing at the light over the airlock.

'You're sounding more and more like your mother every day Kitty.' Tup remarked, remembering how Emily used to swear using words from Earth.

The light went green and the hatch swung open, granting them access to the unknown vessel. Swapping quick looks, the trio took off into the crippled ship, splitting up and following the schematics Prudii had provided them with.

Knowing that her trip was the longest, Kitty ran hard along the curving corridor leading to the cockpit, dodging weak areas and ducking around broken supports and damaged plates. Swinging around the last curve, she found the pilot flaked out on the deck, burned hands cradled to his chest as he clung to the edge of consciousness. He was a mess, covered in blood and quite a few burns apart from his hands.

'Hang in there; we're here to get you to safety.' Kitty coaxed, not sure if he could hear her as she crouched and worked her hands under his armpits.

'Come on, let's get you out of here.' she grunted, half-lifting and half-dragging him back the way she'd come.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Showing no fear of the fires in the corridors, Tup was almost at the engine bay when a wall of fire confronted him. Checking the schematics quickly, he realised there was no way around and made his choice. Putting his faith in his armour, he backed up and sprinted towards the wall of fire, right arm up to cover his eyes instinctively. He felt the suffocating heat surrounding him, driving through his bodysuit, but kept running, knowing he had to clear the danger and find the crew member back here. Deep in his heart, he didn't fully understand why he should risk his life for a stranger like this, he had no guarantee that he'd make it back to his friends safely. As a soldier, Tup had faced danger before but back then, he'd believed he was expendable. Now, he knew better. He was special to so many people. But his training wouldn't let him abandon a civilian in a perilous situation; he had to help if he could. His biggest concern was the fire front, he had no idea how far back it went and calling Prudii for information would take precious minutes that couldn't be spared.

Bursting through the wall of flames, he found his target flat on his back on the deck, severely burned and only barely alive. Scooping the wounded man up cautiously, aware of the severity of his wounds, Tup turned to face the wall of fire again, not sure if the casualty in his arms could survive the race back through the wall of flames. Scrolling back through the incoming information on his HUD, he found the readings on the fire front, 3.6 meters wide. It had felt like four times that distance on the way through.

Coming up with a possible solution, Tup took one last breath from his helmet air supply and knelt, supporting the casualty with his right arm as he reached up with his wounded left and removed his helmet. The seal wouldn't be perfect but it would be enough to hopefully keep the casualty alive until they got back to Prudii for medical assistance. Five seconds, he had to hold his breath for five seconds and run as fast as he could through the flames without killing the man in his arms or falling through the damaged flooring.

Standing again, he calmed his breathing and eyed the fire front, tightening his hold on the burned casualty in his arms. He knew what he had to do, just not if he'd make it out alive. Shifting his grip again, he stared into the fire and kicked off, digging deep for speed and strength to brave the fire. One last deep breath and he held it, the path clear in his mind. Head down, casualty protected against his chest, he pushed through bravely, confident in his survival now and determined to make it home. His confidence came from knowledge. He'd run the fire once so doing it again safely was no big deal.

Bursting from the flames again, he set the casualty down a safe distance from the devastating heat and reached up to bat at the ones taking root in his long hair. Dropping to the deck, he rolled to smother a few other small fires chewing at his bodysuit before scrambling up and hoisting the wounded man over his shoulders.

"I need some help in the main area." Dogma commed, concern ringing in his voice.

'I'm inbound Dogma.' Tup replied, taking off down the corridor again. 'Engine room casualty is only small, I can take a second.'

"On my way Dogma. The pilot is safe with Prudii, bacta bath for him." Kitty added, also plunging back into the weakened ship.

"I'll stay with the trio. Hurry, it's not looking so good in here." Dogma confirmed, the creaking of the ship getting louder as they worked to rescue the wounded.

Skipping over another damaged section of plating, Tup swung around yet another corner and into the main area of the ship. It was smoky in here and without the benefit of his helmet; it took Tup a few minutes longer to find where Dogma was crouched with three unconscious casualties around his feet. Shifting the burned man to drape over his wounded left shoulder, Tup came down to one knee and grabbed the nearest casualty by the scruff of the scratched and dinged armour he was wearing. Coming up out of his crouch, left hand keeping the burned man over his shoulder and right tugging on the stained dark grey bodysuit, Tup headed for the airlock, choking on the smoke but right now the burn victim needed the extra oxygen more than he did.

Spotting Kitty for a second, he continued for the ship, turning to the side to make the journey easier as he weaved through the damage and finally back to their ship. Picking up the pace now that he was on more stable plating, he hustled for the small medbay, just hoping it was big enough for the casualties.

Leaving his second casualty outside the small medbay, Tup approached the two collapsible bacta tanks and set the burned man down on the nearest berth. Going back over his medical training, he undressed the burned man quickly, gently working the fabric out of his injuries until he was down to bare skin. He felt bad each time the casualty twitched in pain, the process of removing his destroyed clothes pulling away great swathes of his skin as well.

'I know this hurts. Just hold on, it'll be over soon.' Tup whispered, fairly sure the casualty couldn't hear him but there was no harm in saying it anyway.

Picking him up again, Tup approached the second tank and eased the man in gently, holding him stable in the bacta. Again the casualty twitched in pain, subconscious mind reacting to the painful stimuli against the fresh burns all over his body.

'I'm sorry. This is for your own good, it'll stop hurting soon.' Tup offered, getting the support harness secure and gingerly slipping the breathing mask into place. Unconcerned about getting his own clothes soaked in bacta, Tup stretched over the lip, easing the smaller man deeper into the tank until the support harness had his weight. Only then did he release the burned man and head back for the casualty he'd left in the corridor, picking him up and bringing him in for the med-droid to tend.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Sitting watch over the wounded, Dogma had a chance to reflect on where their lives had gone since the fateful day they'd agreed to Ricky's request and joined up with Kitty as a Bounty Hunting team. His own experiences taught Dogma that older siblings tended to worry about their younger brothers or sisters but this time, it was the younger sibling watching out for the elder. They had experienced things that their brothers could only dream of, but in some cases, the dreams wouldn't be pleasant. They all bore scars from the job, it came with the territory but some of their scars put their brothers to shame. The new one on Tup's shoulder was impressive but they'd all agreed that Dogma had the best one so far.

He'd earned it on their first job, breaking Kitty out of prison on Florrum. Getting in was easy, but getting out with a half-conscious woman on his back hadn't gone quite to plan. They'd almost made their escape when he'd triggered some kind of a defence turret, an extra danger they hadn't known about. The fire from the turret was seriously heavy, blocking off the easy route but he'd refused to quit. Dodging the fire, he'd taken a shot to the back, the impact driving him to the ground and melting through his armour. The jolt brought Kitty back around and she took up the push, carrying Dogma's battered body back to Prudii.

Even with bacta and medical treatment, Dogma's back had been permanently scarred, a large starburst smashed across his shoulders and upper back. It would never fully fade away, unlike so many scars; it would always be there, raised and proud on his flesh. In a way, it was proof of his devotion to his extended family. He wouldn't have been hurt if he wasn't so determined to protect Kitty from harm. Sometimes it was a challenge to work with Kitty, their loyalty assured because of her father, their old CO, Rex. He trusted them to look after his little girl in the wider galaxy and so they would.

Pulled from his thoughts by a soft groan from one of the berths, he stood and walked over to check on one of the men they'd rescued. It was the man he'd carried to safety, mumbling something under his breath as he came up from the darkness. But just as Dogma was about to offer what words of comfort and support he could, the damned med droid got in close and knocked the patient out again.

'Prudii, would you mind shutting off the droid for a while? We need information from these five if we're ever going to figure out their value.' he called, glaring at the droid as he spoke.

'Of course Dogma.' Prudii replied, the storage door sliding open for the droid.

'Thank you Prudii.' Dogma grinned, reaching out to lightly rub the nearest bulkhead.

'You're most welcome Dogma.' Prudii offered, her voice almost a purr at the touch.

Attention drawn by another soft groan, Dogma headed for the other man dragged from the central area of the ship. Without the droid to get in the way, Dogma was hoping to get some answers for Kitty.

'Easy now, you're safe. Just relax, everyone from your ship is safe.' he soothed, trying to remember how Emily calmed even the most frightened brother.

'You're not part of my crew.' the wounded man groaned, keeping his eyes closed. 'Where are my glasses? I need my glasses.'

Looking around for a moment, Dogma found where Tup had piled the damaged equipment belonging to the rescued group. Everything that could be salvaged was stacked on an empty bench made from two small crates and a spare door panel. Hurrying to the equipment pile, Dogma searched through it quickly, looking for anything that resembled glasses. He found them tucked in one of the helmets and quickly polished the lenses with a cleaning cloth from his belt pouches.

'Shh, just relax. I've got your glasses right here, its okay.' Dogma gentled, returning to the wounded man and gently slipping them into place. 'There you go.'

'You're definitely not part of my team.' he mused, head turning to look up at Dogma. 'You're a clone, aren't you?'

'Yes, I am. The name is Dogma; I was part of the team that saved you and your friends.' Dogma nodded, glancing over at the pair still in the bacta tanks. 'Can you remember what caused the severe damage to your ship?'

'We came under attack…pirates I think.' he replied, spotting the tanks behind Dogma. 'Rufus… Shane.' he uttered, eyes widening behind his glasses.

'They'll be fine, their burns are healing nicely.' Dogma soothed, reaching for the canteen on his belt. 'Water?' he offered, slipping one hand under the wounded mans' head when he nodded.

Wisely not giving the wounded man too much to drink, Dogma settled him back down and smoothed out the blanket, trying to make him as comfortable as possible.

'You know, it'd be helpful if I knew your names. It's hard to have a conversation with a stranger.' Dogma remarked, returning his canteen to his belt.

'I'm Aloysius Knight, rookie Bounty Hunter.' he replied, yawning wide as he got comfortable again. 'Thank you.'

'Rest, you've been through hell.' Dogma coaxed, glancing at the monitors above the berth. 'Prudii, run a data search for Aloysius Knight, Bounty Hunter.'

'Searching now Dogma.' she replied, turning her vast processing power to the task.

'Thank you Prudii.' Dogma grinned, walking over to rub the nearest bulkhead lovingly.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Waiting in the doorway, hands resting on her pistols, Kitty watched Tup and Dogma as they lifted the smaller man, Shane, from the bacta tank and dried him off before carrying him to an empty bunk. Those that hadn't been in the tanks were all awake and watching the process, concerned for the men now being made comfortable among them. His burns were healing nicely, fresh pink skin where only a day ago it had been black and red. He would have to go back in to finish healing but the bacta in the tank needed to be replaced with fresh stuff before the process could continue.

Thinking about how her mother had tended to clones burned in action, Kitty left the doorway and walked over to stand beside the older man, unconcerned by his nudity. She'd seen it all before, growing up around the clones had shown her more about the male body than any child should know but it was all part of life. Unhooking her canteen from her belt, she picked up one of the clean cloths on the table beside his bed and moistened the corner before wiping his lips, so very aware of how fragile he was at the moment.

Eyelids flickering, the older man stirred, a pained groan passing his lips as one brilliant blue eye cracked open. Gasping in shock, Kitty stepped back from the bed. He shouldn't have regained consciousness yet, he should have still been completely unaware of what was going on around him. But there he was, watching her with thinly veiled confusion. Shaking off her shock, Kitty returned to his side, reaching out to ever so gently touch his still healing shoulder.

He seemed to relax when she touched him, gloved fingers gliding between two patches of burned flesh slowly. Looking down at him, something stirred in Kitty's gut, a feeling she'd never felt before but she liked the warmth it filled her with.

'I don't know who you are or why our paths crossed but you're safe here. We'll take care of you, go back to sleep.' she uttered, daring to shift her hand from his shoulder to run through his thick, black hair.

'Shane…' he managed, severely weakened by his ordeal.

'Rest now Shane, you're safe here.' Kitty nodded, grateful for her lip-reading practise. 'My name is Kitty.'

A faint nod and Shane passed out again, his head becoming heavy in Kitty's hand. Making him as comfortable as she could, she left him to sleep peacefully, still trying to sort out the feeling in her gut. All she knew for sure was that she wanted to know more about these people in their care. Total strangers but there was something about them that felt familiar.

'Kitty, we could use some help over here. This guy is heavier than he looks.' Tup called, half in the second bacta tank as he helped support the taller man.

'Prudii, run a holonet facial search on our guests, I want to know more.' Kitty instructed, jogging over to help with the second burns casualty.

'As you wish, Kitty.' Prudii replied, grateful for something interesting to do.

At least the bigger man was alert enough to help himself, muscular arms draped around both clones as they helped him step out of the tank via the side hatch. Careful not to slip on the bacta on the floor, Kitty deftly switched places with Dogma, easily taking the weight across her shoulders. One hand resting gently on his bare back, the other reaching up to rest against his chest, she felt him tense up and wondered why but that would have to wait until they got him settled again.

Crossing the infirmary slowly, Kitty waved Tup off to help with cleaning and refilling the tanks so the healing process could continue. He shot her a questioning look but let go and turned away, trusting in Kitty to know her limits. The daughter of a clone and a retired Bounty Hunter, there was no way Kitty was a weakling but still, she was a fair bit smaller than the man now leaning on her completely.

Showing her strength, Kitty guided the larger man onto the only empty bunk and got him settled, checking his burns was healing properly. Cradling one large hand in hers, she was particularly concerned for how the delicate structures of the human hand were recovering from some pretty deep burns. From the looks of things, the bacta was doing a pretty good job. There would likely be some minor scarring but nothing that would affect his hands too much.

'Kitty, you have a message from your mother. It's marked urgent.' Prudii called, one of the screens in the medbay flickering to the 6th Guard Battalion insignia.

'Put it through Prudii, I can multi-task.' Kitty nodded, pulling up the sheet and leaving the older man to rest.

"Kitty, I know we agreed to keep our communications with you to the bare minimum but we felt you should know this. You're going to be a big sister again, Shard confirmed it this morning. I'm 14 weeks along." Emily beamed, lightly rubbing her stomach.

'Prudii, prepare a reply message recording.' Kitty grinned, glancing over to Tup and Dogma. 'I think a close focus would be best, mom might not appreciate our guests.'

'On your signal Kitty.' Prudii confirmed, setting everything up. 'Head and shoulders only.'

'Thanks Prudii. Start recording.' Kitty nodded, tugging at the collar of her bodysuit. 'Hi mom, got your message. That's great news, I'm really happy for you both. We'll be back on Coruscant in a few days, I can't wait to see you all again.'

'Message recorded. Shall I transmit it immediately?' Prudii asked, bringing up the recorded message on another screen in case Kitty wanted to view the message.

'Better slap a double encode on it too, can't be too careful these days.' Kitty replied, turning and getting back to her careful checks of the pilot.

Kitty jumped a good three feet straight up when someone breathed on the back of her neck. Whipping around, she glared at the dark haired man behind her, fingers curling into fists as her instincts screamed for her to reassert her space and dominance. Scowl set firmly in place, she grabbed Knight by the back of the neck and guided him back to his bed.

'Do that again and all the bacta in the galaxy won't save you.' she warned, locking eyes with him through his amber-tinted glasses. 'Now stay put!'

'I'd do what she says. Kitty is not the sort of woman you want to annoy.' Dogma remarked, finishing with his cleaning and now setting about resealing the tank.

'Be grateful that I didn't just shoot you.' Kitty shrugged, once more focused on the pilot.

'Not his fault, he's worried.' he uttered, watching Kitty closely.

'Ah-ha, the pilot speaks.' Tup grinned, hanging over the lip of the second tank to finish sealing it up properly.

'Hush now, Tup.' Kitty sighed, rolling her eyes at the antics of her crewmates. 'So, what's your name, stranger? I'm Kitty, that's Tup and Dogma.'

'Rufus McKenzie, team pilot.' he offered, glancing over towards the clones. 'Where are we?'

'You're safe onboard our ship, Prudii. Don't worry Rufus, you're in good hands here.' Kitty soothed, releasing his hand slowly. 'You'll need another couple of hours in the bacta bath to finish the healing process but apart from that, you're just fine.'

Tanks sealed and refilled, Tup and Dogma looked to Kitty for guidance, trusting her to know the right way to handle the situation around them. Thinking for a moment, Kitty left Rufus to rest and padded over to lift Shane from his bed, proving just how strong she was. Taking up positions near the first tank, Tup and Dogma deftly plucked Shane from her arms and got his ready before easing him back into the tank with the minimum of fuss.

Knowing that he was up next, Rufus sat up cautiously and looked to Aloysius, wanting to know what he thought of the situation. Cocking one eyebrow, Aloysius frowned but nodded faintly. He didn't know exactly what was going on or why this felt semi-familiar but for now, he was going along with it. Returning the nod, Rufus eased to his feet, definitely a little off centre as he attempted the short walk to the waiting tank.

'I can see we're going to have trouble keeping all of you in bed, aren't we?' Kitty sighed, shaking her head slowly as she moved to help him.

'Not all of us, I'm staying put.' the woman replied, watching over Rufus from her spot.

Familiar with the use of bacta tanks of many sorts, Rufus allowed Tup to fasten the support harness and waste unit around his hips before easing up the ladder and stepping out onto the narrow platform beside the tank. Sinking down to sit, Dogma clipped him into the overhead support system and handed over the breathing mask.

'It'll be over before you know it. The first few breaths are the worst bit, after that you'll drift.' Dogma grinned, checking it was fitted properly. Hands still too sore to be of much help, Rufus shimmied forward and pushed off the side gently, dropping into the healing fluid.

'That was easier than I expected.' Kitty mused, noting something extra attached to the breathing mask. 'That was uncalled for Dogma. He's calm, there was no need to drug him again.'

'Kitty, if Tup can punch his way out of one of these style tanks, chances are Rufus won't have any trouble breaking it if he panics. You've seen it happen, men that have been in before suddenly freak out and want out regardless of how they get out. Besides, the hose is only open part way, just enough to keep him relaxed and lucid.' Dogma replied, indicating one of the gauges on the side of the tank.

'Prudii, we're going to need that damned medical droid on alert. Tank two is under minor sedation.' Kitty sighed, shaking her head slowly.

'Medical droid standing orders have been altered, Kitty.' Prudii confirmed, the storage closet sliding open so the droid could keep a sharp watch over Rufus.


	2. Chapter 2

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Truth out

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Reading over the data that Prudii had compiled, Kitty felt a deep sense of dread weigh her down. Her mother had warned her about giving comfort and support to the enemy and then she'd gone out and done exactly that. The five people they had rescued were all part of a single Bounty Hunting team, the Terra Stalkers. Although age had changed their faces, there could be no mistake that they were included in the hunting guide Emily had given her daughter on the first day of her new career. They had caused Emily a lot of frustration, constantly getting in her way or escaping her grasp.

'Prudii, are you absolutely certain about this information as you have compiled it?' she asked, sinking down in the captain's chair.

'Yes Kitty. I compiled every piece of information available on those five to prepare those profiles for you.' Prudii confirmed, holoself appearing beside Kitty's chair. 'Is something wrong?'

'I don't know yet. I need you to run a physical comparison scan for me on those five.' Kitty sighed, stuck with no easy answers.

'I require something to compare them with.' Prudii reminded gently, her scanner panel flashing.

'Compare with the information on this datapad. It's the Bounty Hunting guide my mother gave me before we left.' Kitty nodded, hooking the datapad into Prudii's systems.

'Acknowledged. Beginning the physical comparison scanning.' Prudii replied, holoself flickering out as she got to work.

Watching the highly detailed scans taking form on the main display screens, Kitty couldn't shake the feeling that her gut instinct was right and she was in a world of trouble with these five. Emily had included detailed files on the group, teaching Kitty what to look for in a potential ally or enemy. Kitty had taken those lessons to heart, using much the same profile to evaluate potential connections. Part of her wanted to call for the nearest Republic backup to come and take the group but part of her wondered how Emily would react to finding her five old enemies brought to their knees by the next generation.

Leaning back in her chair, Kitty gazed at the scans coming together in front of her, markers for everything compiling into digital models of every details of the five extra people onboard. Those markers would then be compared to the datapad for any connections. If Kitty was right and Emily hadn't changed too many details, then Emily and SAU 14 weren't the only people to jump galaxies so long ago.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Still not exactly sure what to think of their situation, the five rescued friends discussed the topic at length. With Shane and Rufus once more out of their tanks, everyone was gathered around Mother's bed, trying to figure out the right plan to deal with this. The tension was getting unbearable, where once the clones had been friendly, over the last few hours they had become snappish and distant. It was almost like they knew something but weren't letting on.

'We can't stay with this group. I heard the clones mentioning Coruscant, we can't be seen there. Not after that failed job against the Senator from Alderaan.' Buck shrugged, keeping one eye on Shane as he sat there gazing at the mostly healed burns on his arms.

'It's not like we have a lot of choice. They've got the weapons and there's something about this ship that makes me think that trying to take it by force is a bad idea.' Aloysius sighed, looking around at the room that had become a pseudo prison.

'I don't even know if I could fly this ship. Sure, the bacta did a good job on my hands but they still feel numb.' Rufus added, stretching out his fingers slowly.

'You did have some pretty deep burns, its normal for there to be a little residual numbness.' Buck nodded, rubbing his shoulder lightly.

'Well that's all fucking fine and dandy but what do we do now?' Mother growled, fed up with this mess and looking for a way out.

'There's not much we can do. We're officially stuck until we can get off this damned ship. We might have the numerical advantage but we're in their territory and until that changes, best to not push our luck.' Aloysius replied, shaking his head slowly.

Turning to look when the door slid open, the group immediately closed ranks, protecting each other as Kitty approached them, two datapads held in her left hand and her right resting on one pistol. Behind her, Tup and Dogma took up positions just inside the door, carbine to hand and helmets secure on their belts.

'We need to have a serious talk. I know who you are really, I know the truth of your arrival in this galaxy and I know how dark and evil you all are.' Kitty growled, her eyes hard as steel as she looked at the group. 'Prudii, implement interior defence.'

'Of course, Kitty.' Prudii replied, her voice lost amid the clanking of four mounted Z-6 rotary blaster cannons folding out of the ceiling to cover the entire medbay.

'Whoa, now that's taking things to a new level.' Shane uttered, glancing up at the nearest weapon. 'Just relax, we're no threat to you.'

'Don't lie to me, I know exactly who you are. I will not allow the Terra Stalkers to escape my clutches now that I have you. I also know that you are not of this galaxy.' Kitty snarled, infuriated that they would dare try and lie to her face.

Hooking one of the datapads up to the display screen near the group, Kitty brought up a collection of old images. Each one was taken from a section in her Bounty Hunting Guide, her mother's guidance vital to making the connection. The images had all been taken in different places, the people in the pictures caught in all manner of situations from grocery shopping to combat duty.

'Where did you get these?' Aloysius asked, eyes blown wide behind his glasses. There was no mistaking that image of him, shotguns up as he sprinted after another target.

'There's no way.' Mother uttered, staring in shock at the photo of her and Ralph walking along the street on a rare day off.

'How did you get that?' Shane demanded, anger flaring as memories of Libby's murder rose to the front of his mind thanks to the romantic picture of them now so casually displayed.

'You have no right.' Buck growled, trying to pull his eyes away from the casual image of him, leaning on a fence watching kids at play.

'It's impossible. You can't have these.' Rufus shook his head, unable to believe the private image of him on the screen. Stripped down to a singlet and shorts, covered in grease as he squirmed out of an access panel on the old Black Raven.

Letting out a snort of amusement, Kitty removed the images from the screen and waited a moment before lifting her chin and resting both hands on her pistols. She smirked at the flicker of recognition in the eyes of her prisoners, they were starting to understand.

'I am the daughter of a woman stolen from her home and a man forced to grow up before his time. A Bounty Hunter and a clone Captain, I am a blend of both lives. My mother taught me the business, passing on her knowledge of Bounty Hunting so I could be the best.' Kitty declared, daring anyone to push against her command of the situation.

'Emily…it has to be Emily.' Aloysius breathed, shock and disbelief warring in his tone.

'Perhaps you are not as stupid as you first appeared to be, Knight.' Kitty nodded, spitting his name with contempt, disgusted that she'd been fooled.

'Okay, so now that you've got us what do you intend to do?' Shane asked, trying to cool the situation down before someone got hurt.

'For now, you will be transferred to the onboard brig. Once we reach Coruscant, we'll just see who wants you the most. The bounty on you all for the botched assassination attempt on Senator Organa is very generous but maybe someone else will pay more.' Kitty shrugged, whipping up her pistols and beckoning Tup and Dogma forward.

Securing their carbines, they approached the group, following the scripted plan to deal with the threat. Splitting up, Dogma snapped around and locked his arm around Aloysius' throat, dragging him off the bed he was sitting on. On the other side of the group, Tup yanked Shane backwards off the bed, driving him to the floor forcefully. Reacting to the threat, Buck and Rufus moved to fight with the clones, trying to protect their friends. Avoiding the fights on the floor, Kitty came around behind Mother, getting her in a headlock and pressing one pistol against her temple firmly.

'You little bitch!' Mother roared, trying to break the hold but Kitty had a lot of tricks up her sleeve and wouldn't be removed.

'Knock it off or this one dies! Four or five, it matters little to us. We'll still get paid!' Kitty barked, slowly cutting off Mother's air supply.

'Scarecrow!' Mother's bark was more of a desperate whine now, fingers trying to pry Kitty's armoured forearm from her throat.

That little whine was all it took though. Within seconds, the other four members of the Terra Stalkers were flat on the deck, hands in clear view. Sucking in great gulps of air when Kitty's grip relaxed just a little, Mother raised her hands slowly, knowing when she was beaten.

'Those two first. Prudii and I can control the other three until you get back.' Kitty instructed, grip tightening in warning as she used her pistol to point at Shane and Aloysius.

'You will pay for this you little upstart.' Aloysius spat, resisting Dogma's attempts to hustle him from the room.

'Somehow I doubt that, Knight.' Kitty replied, pistol dropping to aim at Rufus' unprotected head in a clear warning. 'Now move!'

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Furious with himself for leading the team right into this trap, Aloysius stalked around the small confines of his cell, trying in vain to come up with some kind of a grand escape plan. To his frustration, his usually sharp mind was completely blank. Nothing of any use was coming to him. Letting out a holler of pent up rage, he turned and lashed out at the solid wall to his right. The rush of pain from the impact cleared his head a little but the shocking jolt of electricity from seemingly nowhere scrambled it again, dropping him to the deck.

Coming around again a few minutes later, he drunkenly rolled over and looked around, wondering where the hell that jolt had come from. The walls were still smooth and neat, no sign of anything that could have given him that sort of a shock.

'Aloysius! You okay over there?' Shane called, thumping on the solid wall separating them then letting out an almighty yelp as another sharp crack filled the air with the scent of ozone.

'Schofield! Shane!' Aloysius snapped, wisely staying on the floor until his head stopped trying to go into orbit.

'Guh…fuck was that?' Shane slurred, barely comprehensible but at least he was alive.

'No one touch the walls! It's a shock circuit of some kind.' Aloysius warned, looking around his cell again. He couldn't figure out how the hell the circuit worked, there was no obvious point for the charge to be released from.

Nose crinkling as he finally noticed a foul stench, Aloysius looked down and went bright red, hands flying to his lap. Of all the rotten luck. That jolt, wherever it had come from, had been such a shock to his systems that he'd gone and pissed his pants. On the upside, at least his bowels hadn't been affected this time. He certainly wasn't going to be banging on the walls again, he didn't want to risk another shock like that.

Next door, Shane groaned and lifted his head, looking around with unfocused eyes. The last thing he clearly remembered was thumping on the wall after Aloysius screamed in pain and the air smelt of ozone. Now he was only really aware of the pain in his butt and a particularly nasty odour hanging around. Managing to roll onto his back, he felt something squashy in his boxers and groaned again.

'Scarecrow! Answer us damnit Scarecrow!' Mother's voice, off to his left somewhere.

'I'm here.' Shane responded, not sure if he wanted to move and spread the mess in his pants.

'Thank fuck for that. Don't touch the walls, it's a shock circuit according to Knight.' Mother sighed, just glad he was okay.

'Yeah, I figured as much. The blackout and loss of bodily functions gave that impression.' Shane replied, rolling back onto his front and trying to ignore the smell.

'Well, at least I wasn't the only one to cop that embarrassment.' Aloysius admitted, relief flooding his voice. 'It'll dry eventually.'

'I'd rather take a shower before the lumps harden.' Shane countered, figuring he'd be smelt out eventually so he might as well admit it.

'Not me, managed to hold that somehow.' Aloysius remarked, settling in for the long wait.

They all jumped when someone laughed out of their limited views. Boots clicking against the cold steel plates, Kitty strode into view, a malicious little smirk on her face.

'So, it took two little fools to realise that this ship is more than just a ship. Such a shame neither of you have anything to change into until we reach Coruscant. By the time you've been processed in and given your prison clothes, I imagine you will both be most uncomfortable. Particularly you, Captain Schofield. I can only guess how utterly humiliating this must be for you, such a proud and dignified man.' she taunted, reaching out to lightly caress the plating.

'Why are you doing this to us? You've already caught us, why torment us like this?' Buck asked, deeply disturbed by the way Kitty was treating them all.

'Why? Well that's simple Sergeant Riley. My mother will never get her chance to pay you all back for the harm you put her through. Instead, I get to play with you for a few hours in her stead. Of course, I will tell her that you are here and she will likely use her influence with the Coruscant Guard to make your lives hell. But for now, you are my playthings and I am looking forward to seeing what Prudii can come up with to continue the fun.' Kitty chuckled, still lightly rubbing the plating around her. 'Isn't that right Prudii?'

'This will be a good chance for me to teste some of my other abilities. The shock generators are a wonderful addition, I must thank Odd Ball for them.' Prudii agreed, her true identity still a mystery to the prisoners.

'Just who is Prudii? It's a strange name, even by the standards of this galaxy.' Rufus mused, letting out a howl as Prudii demonstrated her displeasure again, another blast from her shock generators leaving him twitching on the deck.

'A truly skilled Bounty Hunter never gives away their secrets.' Kitty chuckled, spinning on her heel and striding away. 'Just make sure you don't kill them Prudii, we will get a better price if they are in good condition.'

'I will be careful Kitty.' Prudii promised, shutting off all the lights and leaving the prisoners to stew for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Hand off

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Helmet clipped to his belt, Commander Fox smiled at the sleek black and blue ship coming in for a landing. Every clone knew this ship and who worked onboard, a special request for a meeting was a prized gift from a favourite niece. Relaxing his stance, Fox waited for Kitty to emerge, curious as to why she asked to meet him outside the 1st Guard Battalion prison instead of at HQ like the last time he'd seen Kitty.

Smile growing when the ramp dropped, Fox stepped forward and opened his arms, welcoming Kitty into his embrace as she ran down the ramp and into his arms.

'You're looking well today Kitty.' he remarked, drawing back to admire her in all her hunting glory. 'It's so good to see you again.'

'It's good to see you as well Uncle Fox. And under better circumstances than the last time.' Kitty chuckled, glancing back at Prudii. 'I have a special delivery for you.'

'Oh, just what kind of special delivery?' Fox asked, even more curious now.

'Onboard, secured in the brig we have the Terra Stalkers. Capturing them was easy, they ship was severely damaged and dead in space. It was just a case of dragging them onboard and making sure they survived the trip.' Kitty explained, so proud of her achievement.

'You captured the Terra Stalkers? I'm so proud of you Kitty. We've been trying to catch that lot for months. Well done, you have really pulled off a great job this time.' Fox praised, stunned by what young Kitty had managed to do. 'We'll be happy to accommodate them.'

'I'm happy to pass them into your custody. But be aware, one of the members is female.' Kitty nodded, glad to be finally getting rid of those five.

'A woman? That's going to pose a problem Kitty. The women's section of this prison is overcrowded as it is; I just don't have the space for another one.' Fox sighed, scratching his head as he tried to think of a solution.

'Fek, I didn't want to hear that Uncle Fox. I want this group off Prudii, I don't like them.' Kitty groaned, hanging her head in frustration.

'Most of the women's prisons are full; the Chancellor has cracked down on the red light districts lately. Your best bet would be the 6th, they've still got space last I heard. Our overflow has been going there.' Fox suggested, not sure what else to do with Prudii's female prisoner.

'So much for this being easy. Mom is going to kill me when she finds out about this.' Kitty sighed, shaking her head slowly. 'But at least getting rid of four will cut down on the tension onboard. It's hard dealing with this lot.'

'Sure, I doubt your mother will be pleased you tangled with a group like the Terra Stalkers but I doubt she'd kill you for that. She loves you Kitty, we all do.' Fox offered, one hand resting on her shoulder lightly.

'It's not that Uncle Fox. I gave comfort and support to the enemy, before I realised who they were. And then there's the fact I have established that the Terra Stalkers jumped galaxies just like mom and SAU 14. Mom included images of her old competitors in the hunting guide she gave me, those five were in there.' Kitty explained, turning back to her ship as she activated her commlink. 'Newman stays, the other four are getting off here.'

"On it Kitty." Tup replied, proving just how well he'd taken to the Bounty Hunting.

Within minutes the four prisoners were herded outside between Tup and Dogma. Hands up, they seemed relieved to be finally getting away from Kitty and her team. Crossing the landing zone, they stopped in front of Fox and Kitty, sinking to their knees without daring to lower their hands, fully aware that would get them shot.

'Here you go Fox, four members of the Terra Stalkers. Knight, Schofield, McKenzie and Riley. Keep a sharp watch on these four; they're a tricky group to contain. You've got their leadership, pilot, engineer, demolitions man and medic. Their heavy gunner will have to go elsewhere.' Kitty briefed, unhooking the datapad from her belt. 'Everything Prudii compiled on them.'

'That will be most helpful Kitty. I'm sure we'll find a nice dark hole to hide these four in.' Fox agreed, unhooking his own datapad and holding it out.

'Not too dark, my mother might want to see them.' Kitty warned, transferring all the information across so Fox could fill out all the proper paperwork and take appropriate precautions to keep them secure.

'Can they be trusted in GP?' Fox asked, returning his datapad to his belt.

'I think so but be wary. These four will try to escape. They will likely start fights too, they're wild.' Kitty shrugged, securing her datapad and drawing her pistols.

'We'll handle them Kitty, don't you worry.' Fox nodded, motioning his backup forward to grab the four prisoners.

'Just don't lose them like you keep losing Boba Fett. I can't keep wasting my time chasing down people that I've already caught once or twice…or in Boba's case, six times.' Kitty shrugged, turning on her heel and heading back to Prudii. 'Come on you two, next stop Blue Guard ground.'

'Right behind you Kitty.' Dogma grinned, turning and heading for the ramp.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Grateful to finally be able to take a shower and clean up, Shane didn't care that the water was cold, he only cared that he didn't have lumps of shit stuck to his skin anymore. Drying off as best he could with the rough, prison issue towel, he donned his bright orange jumpsuit, number 183 emblazoned on the back in big black lettering. Scrubbing at his hair for a moment longer, he filed out of the washroom and rejoined his companions, wondering just what would be next.

Herded through the intake area, they passed through at least six security barriers before they were guided into a turbolift. Knowing that there was a slim chance of escaping while the guards were on high alert, the quartet kept their hands in clear sight and bided their time. Their chance would come, if the played their cards right.

Shoved out of the turbolift and onto a flatbed transport, they got their first look at their new home. Hundreds of shield sealed cells arranged in neat rows around the outer walls of a massive cylindrical building. Behind them, the core of the cylinder was the turbolift shaft, surrounded by transports and guard platforms. Their transport stopped at one of the empty cells, the shield fading away to permit them entrance. Model prisoners, the quartet stepped off the platform and entered their cell; padding down the short flight of stairs into the cell proper as the shield came up again, keeping them locked away.

Their new home didn't have much to show, four bunks were secured in pairs to the walls and a small panel on the back wall marked where the toilet was but apart from that, they had nothing. There weren't even any pillows or blankets on the bunks, just bare mattresses for them to use.

'Well, this is a fine mess.' Aloysius sighed, dropping down on the bottom bunk on the left side.

'It could be worse.' Shane shrugged, scrambling up onto the bunk above Aloysius. 'At least we're still together.'

'And Mother is on her own somewhere else on Coruscant. Hardly a comforting thought Scarecrow.' Buck replied, swinging up onto the other top bunk.

'Mother's tough, she'll be okay. Her reputation as the Heavy Gunner for the Terra Stalkers should offer her some protection. If not, we all know how tough she is, she'll get through this.' Rufus mused, trying out his bunk for size.

'You'd think in a galaxy of such variety they'd make the prison bunks a little bigger.' Shane remarked, wondering if Rufus would ever be comfortable sleeping on such a short bunk.

'They probably only have a limited number of Wookiee sized bunks, likely all occupied but you never know.' Rufus shrugged, rolling over and tucking his knees up. 'No worse than some of the other places I've curled up to sleep, at least the mattress is decent.'

Getting to his feet, Knight started pacing the cell again, still wound up about what had happened and just how badly they'd been caught out this time. Their original mission had been so easy, catch up with Hondo Onaka and reclaim a precious piece of cargo that he'd stolen from a Hutt transport. But somehow, their ship hadn't been good enough to beat one of Hondo's Flarestar Attack Shuttles. Knight knew they had Hondo for size but his older ships packed a bigger punch that originally thought. Hondo escaped with his prize, leaving the usually feared team adrift in space in a dying ship. Then Kitty and her crew had turned up, rescued them from the edge of death and treated their wounds. Only to then turn on them and hand them over to the authorities. It just wasn't right. They were the Terra Stalkers, a feared Bounty Hunting team that had taken on some extreme jobs and survived. To be taken out by a young upstart like Kitty was absolutely humiliating.

Rolling off his bunk, Rufus stood and caught Aloysius on his next pass, hauling the shorter man back against his chest and holding him close. Struggling for a moment, Aloysius sighed and slumped back against Rufus, tired of constantly having to worry about every little detail.

'Right now, we can't worry about how we got into this mess. There are probably plenty of other Bounty Hunters and mercenaries in this place and we will have to face them. Most prisons have a communal mess, exercise yard and showers. Those are the places where we will really have to watch our backs.' Shane started, drawing Aloysius onto a new thought track.

'Given a choice, no one goes anywhere alone. Safety in numbers, we stick together as much as we possibly can. Even if you think someone is watching your back, make sure we all know where each other is at all times. Even if it's a guard, speak up so we know. There's no one else we can trust in this place, it's us against the galaxy.' Aloysius nodded, grabbing onto the hope that was left. So long as his team was alive, he would lead them through anything that came their way.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Landing outside the 6th Guard Battalion prison, Kitty wished she'd thought to ask Fox who was on duty here. He'd know, if his overload was going over there he'd have to know who was on shift to accept prisoners. Knowing she couldn't worry about that now, she secured her helmet to her belt and left the bridge, her stride relaxed and easy as she headed towards the ramp.

Tup and Dogma were already organised, their remaining prisoner secure between them. Her missing left leg made things a bit tricky but Prudii had provided a temporary answer. She's hit Newman with a specially modulated charge, almost knocking her out but not quite, she was still hanging onto consciousness. Hauling her onto a small cargo trolley, Tup and Dogma could easily get her off the ship and into the hands of whoever was lucky enough to be getting this delivery.

Striding down the ramp together, Kitty's face fell as she looked at the group that had come to meet them and accept control of the prisoner. It was nice to see the old Domino Squad again, but she could have done without the presence of her parents during this handoff. There could be no escaping it now, though. Her parents were the ranking Guard officers on the landing pad, Newman had to be handed into their custody.

'Take care with this one Commander, she'll be a big headache for you once the shock wears off. This is the fifth member of the Bounty Hunting team, the Terra Stalkers. The other four, all men, are now in 1st Coruscant Guard Battalion custody, as per their danger rating. Commander Fox had no room for this one and stated there would be space for her here.' Kitty explained, all business for the moment.

'Well that certainly explains the cargo trolley idea.' Rex nodded, watching Newman closely. 'I must say though, amputation is a far cry from your usual hunt behaviour Kitty.'

'That wasn't me, Commander. We found her like that. Analysis indicates that it's an old injury, at least 10 years according to the med droid.' Kitty shrugged, dropping her gaze when Newman groaned and looked around. 'I'd suggest you get her inside quickly, Commander. She is a dangerous woman despite her missing leg.'

'Fives, get this one through processing ASAP. Command authorises a temporary prosthetic to get her mobile again.' Rex nodded, waving Domino Squad forward.

'Acknowledged Commander.' Fives replied, gathering his brothers around Newman.

Working as one, they lifted her off the trolley and carried her away, Newman spitting and swearing as the stun effect wore off, much faster than Kitty had anticipated. Waiting for the heavy doors to slide closed behind her, Kitty sighed and let her shoulders drop, just glad to be rid of that wild woman.

'Before you both get upset that we took on the Terra Stalkers, let me get through the rest of the handoff. Then I promise we'll sit down and discuss everything.' Kitty pleaded, trying to delay the storm of questions she knew would be coming.

'Very well Kitty.' Rex nodded, regaining his officer mantle as much as he wanted to hug his daughter and make sure she was still in one piece.

'Copies of all data recorded by Prudii and crew during our capture and containment of Newman, Heavy Gunner for the Terra Stalkers.' Kitty offered, holding out her datapad.

'Appropriate security measures will be taken in regards to this prisoner. The 6th Coruscant Guard Battalion thanks you for your assistance.' Rex replied, accepting the transmission of files into his own command only datapad.

'I wish you the best of luck keeping her contained Commander Rex.' Kitty nodded, waiting for the transfer to complete before returning her datapad to her belt.

'She will not escape Kitty, I assure you.' Rex insisted, totally confident in his guards and their prison system.

Relaxing again, Kitty stepped forward to hug her parents, so glad to be home again, if only for a few days before someone contacted her for another job. For a little while she was safe, she could spend time with her close family and just be a normal person. Go see her little brother if he was available, take a walk in civilian clothes and just have some fun.

'Tup, Dogma, you can go. I'll contact you when we have another job.' she instructed, turning to the pair waiting patiently behind her.

'Stay for the moment, this could be a very interesting story.' Emily grinned, knowing that her words would be considered a request but if Rex asked, it was an order for them.

'There isn't much to tell Emily, it was more of a fluke than any great capture.' Tup shrugged, reaching up to release his hair from the low ponytail he'd taken to wearing.

'Nonetheless, I would like to hear how you caught a woman, who by all rights should not be in this galaxy.' Emily nodded, giving Kitty a well known warning look.

'I'll explain everything mom, Tup and Dogma don't know anything that I can't tell you. Let them go, they've been so patient waiting for this chance to see their brothers again. I don't know when we'll be called for another job, let them have as much time as possible with their family.' Kitty tried, hoping to get Tup and Dogma some well earned downtime.

'Very well. You two may go. We will contact you later to speak about this and some of your other adventures.' Rex instructed, dismissing the pair with a wave.

'Of course, Commander Rex.' Dogma replied, tapping his commlink. 'Prudii, would you mind transporting us to the 6th Guard Battalion HQ?'

"Of course not Dogma. Is Kitty coming along as well?" Prudii chuckled, so fond of her young companions. "Hello again Rex and Emily."

'No, you three go ahead. I've got some matters to discuss with my parents. I'll catch up later.' Kitty grinned, content to lean on Rex's shoulder for a few minutes.

'Hello Prudii. I trust you are coping with the rigours of Bounty Hunting.' Emily smiled, looking up at the great ship as Dogma turned to the family and offered out his commlink.

"The rigours of Bounty Hunting are easy to bear Emily. I was built tough for a reason. Come along now you two, I would like a chance to shut down and defrag my systems while we have some time off." Prudii coaxed, her personality programming coming out a lot more now.

'Alright Prudii, point taken.' Tup chuckled, glancing back at the ship. 'Come on Dogma, I can't wait to tell the guys what we've been up to.'

'Hardcase is gonna be so pissed he declined this job.' Dogma agreed, following Tup back towards the ever patient Prudii.

'Don't look so shocked dad, they've been waiting to tell their brothers about their antics since we first left Coruscant and struck out. They've taken to the job like naturals, earned quite a few new scars and have learnt so much. We've all learned a lot.' Kitty chuckled, shaking her head in wonder. 'It's a hard life but we wouldn't change it for the world.'

'Come on, we can talk back at HQ.' Rex grinned, just glad to have Kitty home and in one piece.

'But aren't you on duty here today, dad?' Kitty asked, turning around to face him properly.

'No, Fox commed and said you'd just dropped off four members of the Terra Stalkers into his custody. When he said you were bringing the last one here, we had to see for ourselves.' Emily shrugged, drawing Kitty back in between them.

'I should have known Uncle Fox would do that.' Kitty sniggered, looping her arms around their shoulders. 'You're not mad that I got involved with them?'

'Confused, shocked and proud, yes. But no, not mad.' Emily reassured, trying not to think about the ramifications of certain other people being in this galaxy. 'It seems that no matter how hard I try, I'll never shake my own Bounty Hunting past.'

'You knew that woman, Emily?' Rex asked, refusing to let anything shatter his good mood.

'She's an Earth jump like me, likely the other people that Kitty dropped off are in the same boat.' Emily nodded, giving Kitty a questioning look.

'Knight, McKenzie, Riley and Schofield.' Kitty listed, returning the questioning glance.

'Yep, I know those four as well. Things just got interesting again.' Emily groaned, shaking her head in disbelief. 'All this time and there have been other people from Earth right under my nose. I can't believe I didn't see it before now.'

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Swearing revenge on Kitty and her crew for this humiliation, Mother strode into the mess hall, her guards staying at the door as she crossed the hall and joined the line for food. Resisting the urge to snarl at the rather disgusting yellow stuff that landed on her plate, Mother turned and headed for the nearest empty spot at a table. Most of the prisoners seemed to get the message to leave her the hell alone but as she sat and poked at what passed for food, Mother felt a lot of eyes on her, watching and evaluating what she was all about.

Looking up when someone approached, Mother snarled and stood, coming face to chest with a towering Wookiee, a translator unit secured to her throat.

'Just so you know, I'm the top woman in this prison. You're now under my command.' she warned, looking down at Mother with unbridled hatred.

'Oh, is that right bitch. Well I've got fucking news for you. I don't listen to orders so well.' Mother growled, grabbing her mess tray and using it to smack the Wookiee in the head.

'You're gonna pay for that you little…' thinking fast, Mother lunged in again, ripping the translator off and taking off with it. The little bit of tech wasn't much of a prize but she wasn't going to submit to anyone and would keep taking personal possessions from people that tried to push their luck with her until the prison got the message about Mother Newman.

Weaving among the other prisoners, Mother knew she didn't have a lot of places to run. The guards wouldn't take her back to her cell until the lunch rotation was over and there were only a few places she could go unhindered. Working on her plan as she kept running, Mother dropped to her knees and shot under one of the tables, hoping to hell that it was strong enough to resist as enraged Wookiee until she could escape.

Scrambling out the other end and heaving to her feet, Mother saw a potential escape route and took it, cutting right and tightening her grip on her prize. Darting around behind four very confused guards, she bolted out of the mess hall and shot around the nearest corner. Pressing up against the wall, she waited and listened to see if her plan worked. Running away wasn't her usual solution but Mother wasn't stupid. She knew she couldn't take on a Wookiee.

Smirking as she heard the unmistakeable sounds of blasters on stun, Mother dared to poke her head around the corner, only to be instantly spotted by three guards. Hiding the translator under her jumpsuit, Mother raised her hands and stepped around the corner, peacefully surrendering to the guards. Sinking to her knees, she felt a certain thrill of pride as they hauled her up and escorted her away, not even bothering to search for the translator.

'You have guts, Newman, I'll give you that one. Few people dare go against Reska, she's as mean as Wookiees come.' one guard remarked, hand firm on her left arm.

'She tried to assert her dominance. I just made it perfectly fucking clear that I won't roll over for another prisoner.' Mother shrugged, totally calm as she was guided away.

'I do hope that sort of behaviour won't roll over to the guards.' the other guard warned, lightly tapping his carbine.

'I plan to reunite with my friends, once I get out of here. Can't do that if I stir trouble with the guards.' Mother replied, honest with the guards in an attempt to gain favour with them.

'Smart move. It would be even smarter if you didn't stir trouble with the other inmates. You're the newest flesh in here, everyone else has their little groups.' guard one nodded, turning Mother away from the mess and back in the general direction of the cells.

'As a precaution, you'll get a packed lunch but next meal rotation, you're back in with the rest of your section.' guard two added, indicating a third guard nearby with a small white box in his hands. Just grateful her actions didn't mean she missed lunch, Mother accepted the box and clutched it in both hands as she was led back to her cell.

Little did she realise that there was someone else in the mess that was very interested in seeing Mother again. Long black hair pulled back into a low bun, slender figure hidden by the gaudy orange jumpsuit, angular face marred by her time in the lower levels of Coruscant and dark, pitch black eyes constantly watching her surroundings, she was an enigma in the prison. No one knew her name, what she did or why she was in here. No one had even seen her react to the random fights and chaos until today. Watching Mother run rings around Reska, she had smiled faintly at the scene.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Thinking over the full story as Kitty had told it, Emily sighed and abandoned the couch, striding out onto the balcony where she could be alone with her thoughts. She believed her daughter, the story made sense but it worried her that after all these years, and she was only now finding out that more people, people she knew and had worked with, were here in this galaxy. Slumping at the railing, she looked out towards the 6th Guard Battalion prison complex, thinking about Mother in particular. At least the guys were together, they could watch out for each other but Mother was alone in a prison with 1750 other women and no backup.

The common knowledge on the Terra Stalkers only increased Emily's guilt. She should have seen it, she knew the five people that made up the team but she'd never connected their new activities with their pasts. She'd been blind to what they were up to, their flashy new weaponry and bigger ship had masked who the really were. Emily had once felt that something was familiar about them but dismissed the idea as impossible. But if those five were here, just how many other people that she knew were lurking around in the shadows of this galaxy? There were so many people, their effects on her life both good and bad, they could all be out there, living lives they'd built from the ground up.

Looking over her shoulder when the door slid open again, she managed a shaky little smile as Rex came up beside her, right arm slipping around her waist.

'You alright, darling?' he asked, leaning in to brush a soft kiss across her cheek.

'Just thinking about what Kitty told us.' Emily nodded, her gaze instantly pulling back to the prison, just visible from their balcony.

'About the five Earth jumpers?' Rex pushed, knowing that this had to be brought into the light or it would continue to fester in Emily's heart. 'What about them, Emily?'

'I know them Rex, they were all a big part of my life in one way or another. For years, Schofield was my Commanding Officer. I served alongside Newman and Riley, we were a strong team. After I left the Marines and became a Bounty Hunter, I would often lock horns with Knight and McKenzie, we were fierce competitors, keeping each other on our toes. One job forced us to work together, closer than we'd ever had to get before. You think you've had tough missions, try having to pretend to be married to someone you'd rather kill.' Emily explained, lightly touching the thin scar on the curve of her right shoulder, right down to where it disappeared into the interface plate of her cybernetics.

'I can't say I've ever experienced that sort of a situation. I've only been married once, and I never had to fake a romantic relationship.' Rex grinned, trying to lighten her mood.

'Very funny Rex.' Emily chuckled, resting her head on his shoulder. 'But you missed the point.'

'No, I got the point. You're not sure what to do about these jumpers. You know them but they've taken a different lifestyle. You want to help them but you don't know how.' Rex nodded, tugging Emily closer.

'I'm not even sure if they'll talk to me anymore. I've never been that friendly with Knight and McKenzie, even during that mission that forced us together we were constantly snarling at each other behind closed doors. But it's Schofield, Newman and Riley that I'm particularly concerned about. We didn't part on the best of terms.' Emily sighed, still looking at he prison. 'I can't be sure how they'll react.'

'You don't have to do anything right now. Take some time to consider your options. I'll contact Domino Squad and inform them that Newman is to be given special protection. I'll put a message out to Fox as well, warning him to pay close attention to those other four.' Rex suggested, reaching up to toy with her hair lightly.

'No, they don't get any special treatment until I can look them in the eye and talk to them. For now, let them stew. They're still likely to be steamed that Kitty was able to bring them to justice. My connection to her will only put them on edge at the moment, they need time to relax and get used to their new home.' Emily corrected, her tone hard and cold again. 'No concessions from the Coruscant Guard for any of them, got it?'

'I'll pass the word, my dear. For now, come and relax. This had been quite a shock for you.' Rex coaxed, guiding her back inside. 'If they are as fierce as I know you are, it is the guards that will have to be careful, not the Terra Stalkers.'

'You have no idea Rex.' Emily chuckled, her guilt lifted and a new path before her.


	4. Chapter 4

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Reconnections

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

'Just how long have we been here now?' Shane asked, working up a good sweat while they had time in the exercise room.

'32 days and counting.' Rufus shrugged, working with Aloysius nearby. 'Come on; if you're gonna throw a punch, fucking mean it.'

'I'm trying not to hurt you Rufus. This diet can't be good for anyone.' Aloysius replied, bringing his left knee up to break their rhythm.

'Take it easy you two, before you bring the guards down on us.' Buck warned, spotting for Shane and keeping on eye on the guards near their position.

'It's almost time for our lunch rotation, isn't it?' Rufus asked, left hand coming down to catch Aloysius' flying right leg.

'Beats me, I've given up trying to track the hours.' Shane offered, pushing through another set.

'It's gotta be close, I'm getting hungry.' Aloysius agreed, dropping the sparring game when one of the guards came too close. 'It's just a sparring match to stay in shape, nothing to worry about.'

'We'll be the judge of that.' the guard growled, continuing his circuit around the room.

Hoisting the weights up onto the supports, Shane sat up and ran one hand through his hair, pushing it back out of his eyes. They didn't dare go to the prison barber again, not after the last time. Rufus had nearly been killed by a weequay with a big chip on his shoulder.

'I'm starting to wonder if Kitty was telling the truth. Surely if Emily really was her mother, Emily would have come to gloat over our imprisonment by now.' Buck mused, leaning lightly on the weight bar.

'Who really knows with that woman? She's unstable, we all know that.' Aloysius shrugged, switching from sparring to stretching when another guard took up a position near them.

'But deep at heart, she's still a US Marine. Unstable or not, whatever life she's built for herself here in this galaxy, Emily Hunter will always be a Marine. If she's here and she had heard that we're locked up in this place, she will come.' Shane replied, remembering his other loyal Sergeant, back before their lives had fallen apart. 'But there's no promise that she'll be able to do a damned thing.'

'Guys, how about we refocus a bit. Forget about Emily. We should be more worried about how Mother is holding up on her own. We've tried to make contact but either the messages aren't getting out or something has happened to her.' Rufus cut in, snapping focus back to the missing member of their team.

Snapping around when a siren sounded in the exercise room, the quartet stood and wandered towards the door, automatically shuffling into order by their prisoner ID numbers. Aloysius sported 180, Rufus had 181 across his back, Buck was number 182 and Shane wore 183. Joining the rest of the prisoners, they waited for the guards to check everyone off before they were escorted through the corridors of the prison.

The upgraded security was the result of a recent breakout attempt by a mismatched group of mercenaries. Their attempt had failed but for the last three days, the few freedoms the prisoners had been taken away again. Now they were escorted everywhere and kept under constant watch. Eventually things would settle again but for now, everyone had to be super careful unless they wanted to do a few days in the hole. Aloysius had sampled the joys of the hole, getting three days for fighting in the mess hall. He'd come back with a haunting story about a pitch black cell barely big enough to sit down in, where meals were delivered through a hatch in the roof and if you weren't careful, you'd go hungry.

Led into the mess hall, the prisoners were quiet, filing past the servery to get their lunch ration of unidentifiable yellow glop. No one knew for sure what it was but apparently it was nutritionally balanced to keep the prisoners healthy and constantly adjusted for the various species that filed past. Getting their food, the quartet headed for their usual spot near the main entrance, sitting in such a way that they could clearly see anyone sneaking up on turned backs on either side.

'I don't get how you could be content to eat this slop Rufus. It tastes worse than MREs.' Aloysius muttered, poking at the slop on his tray.

'Eat or starve, it's not that hard to figure out. I don't intend to die in this hellhole so I eat this mystery slop.' Rufus shrugged, ignoring the taste and texture of the food. 'Besides, I've eaten your cooking. Now that's bad food.'

'He's got a point there Knight. I remember the only time you cooked for the team. You just about killed us all with your attempt.' Shane agreed, poking at his meal before reluctantly starting to eat it. 'Even Mother was gagging and she's eaten some rough stuff over the years.'

'Ha-di-fucking-ha guys.' Aloysius scowled but he knew it was true. He couldn't cook for shit.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Going toe-to-toe with Reska again, Mother showed absolutely no fear of the hulking great Wookiee, her long brown fur sticking up in every direction after their first round. Jumping up onto the table behind them, Mother jumped backwards between two Nautolan women and took off, another translator clutched in her hand. This was the seventh one she'd pinched from Reska, it was becoming boring but until Reska got the message that Mother couldn't be dominated, she'd keep stealing translators and hiding them all around the prison.

This time though, it seemed Reska had learnt a few new tricks. Instead of going straight after Mother in a blind Wookiee rage, she paused and scanned the room for a moment then broke left, skirting the knot of prisoners Mother had gone behind. Back pedalling quickly, Mother turned and raced off in the other direction, knowing if she was caught now, the game was over.

Under a table and back up, Mother managed to gain a few precious seconds on Reska but those seconds quickly disappeared when the Wookiee went straight over the table. Starting to think that maybe today hadn't been a good day to push her luck, Mother kept running, weaving among the prisoners and looking for a way out. The guards wouldn't be any help this time; they were bored of these antics between Mother and Reska. If things got out of hand, both would be stunned and dropped in solitary to cool off.

Changing up the game again, Mother shoved the translator up her sleeve and skidded to a stop in the middle of the mess hall, turning to face the charging Wookiee. Setting her feet and raising her fists, Mother prepared to go head on and end this game once and for all. Reska might have been bigger but Mother was a trained killer, she would always be a Marine and Marines don't retreat from single threats.

Seemingly shocked by this change in events, Reska slid to a stop in front of Mother, the pair starting to circle slowly. Mother knew this would be a hard fight, Wookiee were notoriously tough to beat. She wouldn't back down though; Reska had to be put in her place.

'Alright bitch. You wanna dance, let's dance.' Mother snarled, daring to inch closer to the angered Wookiee. Not sure of Reska's retort but figuring it wasn't polite, Mother stepped closer again, still circling her opponent as they both searched for an opening.

Reska moved first, stepping right in and trying with a thundering right. Mother dropped under it and lashed out with her left foot, clipping Reska's knee and making her stumble. Rolling clear, Mother heaved to her feet and moved back out of range, constantly watching her opponent for the next move. Roaring a challenge, Reska got back up and charged Mother again, leading with her right this time. Turning to clear the blow, Mother clenched both fists together and clubbed Reska between the shoulders as she passed Mother again.

Getting up again, Reska feinted left then snapped right as Mother dodged the incoming left fist. With a great smack, Reska's coiled right slammed into Mother's abdomen, knocking the solidly built woman back and down heavily. Gasping for air, Mother gazed up at the ceiling with unfocused eyes, trying to get her head back together. She'd been warned that Wookiees hit hard but nothing could have prepared her for that freight train of a punch.

Checking that nothing was broken, Mother rolled over and got up, turning to face her opponent again. Wiping at the blood dribbling from her nose, Mother growled and charged in again, putting her training into hard practise. Reading Reska's moves carefully, Mother dropped under another deadly right fist and lashed out with both feet, launching Reska a few meters to crash into one of the tables.

Both fighters got up again, coming together with murder in their eyes. All around them, prisoners and guards watched with a mix of fear, concern and interest, wondering if Mother was good enough to knock Reska off her perch at the top of the prison hierarchy. Stumbling when her temp prosthetic showed signs of weakness, Mother recovered quickly and managed to avoid another heavy left fist before she went down, the prosthetic unable to take the strain.

Smelling victory, Reska reached down and wrapped both hands around Mother's throat, lifting the smaller woman off the ground. Fighting against her instincts to try and pull those big hands off her throat, Mother instead brought her left leg up and pulled at her ankle, desperation giving her new strength.

Her prosthetic came free and she hefted it as high as she could bringing it down with all her strength against Reska's head. Eyes rolling back in her head, Reska collapsed, hands releasing Mother's throat as they hit the floor together. Sucking in air gratefully, Mother rolled and sat up, rubbing her throat lightly.

All around them, prisoners were chanting her name, praising her efforts in finally taking Reska down a few pegs in the hierarchy. Raising one hand in celebration, Mother couldn't believe that she'd actually won. The last time she'd tangled with a Wookiee, she'd needed Aloysius and Shane to help her bring that one down.

But as much as se wanted to enjoy the celebration, Mother knew something was terribly wrong. Her guts were on fire, burning agony racing through her combat tuned body. Arms wrapping around her abdomen in a subconscious attempt to ease the pain, she struggled to her knees before collapsing, out for the count.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

At another table, two unlikely companions watched the quartet closely. One was a small man, not short but compared to his friend he seemed smaller. He was a lean man, with long brown hair tied back in a rough ponytail and wire framed glasses that had been repaired many times since his imprisonment. He knew he wasn't very intimidating compared to most so he'd been very grateful to find his companion in the chaos. The second man was much taller, broad in the shoulders and heavily muscled all over. With his wild brown hair left free and his beard twisted into a bundle to keep it out of the way, he was one of the prisoners that everyone gave a wide berth. Even the guards wouldn't get too close unless it was at least five on one against him.

Nudging his smaller companion lightly, the bigger one nodded and slid off the bench, picking up his tray as an afterthought. Nudging his glasses up again, the smaller man trailed after his friend and protector, confident in his judgement of the situation. Dumping their trays with the rest, the pair crossed the mess, coming up on the left side of the table. The biggest man at the table was first to look up, uttering a warning to the others as he dropped his fork.

Scrambling up, the quartet took came around to face the pair, automatically getting ready for another brawl and likely time in the hole if the guards were quick enough.

'Attendez, attendez. Je suis un ami de l'Épouvantail.' the bigger one in the pair tried, subconsciously reverting to his native language. 'Surely we have not changed that much Scarecrow. Come now, you must remember.'

'It can't be.' Shane uttered, stepping forward slowly. 'I don't believe it. What are you two doing in this hellhole?'

'Uh, for those of us who don't know what the fuck is going on?' Aloysius prompted, still ready for a brawl until Shane explained properly.

'This is David Fairfax; he helped me on a few occasions. We first connected during some trouble on American soil, then he was feeding us information during the Bounty Hunt that pulled us together and again when Mother and I were sent in with a couple of trouble Marines and a bunch of civilians to save Earth again.' Shane grinned, indicating smaller man as David.

'And the bigger one?' Rufus asked, not sure he could take down the bigger man. Sure, he was taller but the other guy had a lot more muscle bulk.

'Master Sergeant Jean-Claude François Michel Huguenot, Le Barbarian. We met during said mission to save Earth again. Buck missed that adventure but he heard about it when we got back. He's okay; I'd be dead a few times over if not for his support. You can trust them both, it's okay.' Shane continued, relaxed and calm between the two groups. 'I hope I remembered that properly, Baba.'

'Oui, you remembered Scarecrow.' Baba nodded, indicating the table. 'Perhaps we should sit and talk until it is time to go back to our cells.'

'Yeah, who knows when we'll get another chance to talk?' Shane nodded, motioning for the new pair to precede him.

'How did you come to be in this place, Shane?' David asked, settling between Shane and Buck.

'Well, after we were found in this galaxy and nursed to health by a kind Corellian family, we struck out together and formed a Bounty Hunting team. Probably not the smartest thing to do but we were making good money until things went south. We tangled with pirates, just about died but were rescued by another up and coming team. They discovered our true identities and handed us over to the authorities.' Shane briefed, summing their situation up nicely. 'You?'

'Nothing quite so glamorous. I got caught hacking into the Coruscant Guard mainframe to see if anyone else I knew had turned up in this galaxy.' David shrugged, looking around at the group.

'I was hired as a bodyguard for the son of a Senator. He gave me the slip and was killed by a group out to assassinate the Senator. In order to keep said Senator happy, I was thrown in here.' Baba added, shaking his head slowly. 'It was not my fault.'

'You're singing to the choir, Jean-Claude. We were caught out while injured, hardly dignified but nothing we can do.' Rufus shrugged, finishing his drink and scowling. 'What makes it worse; we got knocked out by a damned rookie. She's only been in two years if her file is to be believed.'

'A rookie and a woman, rough deal.' David nodded, he knew a little of the Bounty Hunting industry but not much really.

Relaxing together, the expanded group shared a few laughs but mostly they talked of their lives since being dragged into this galaxy, separated and left to find their own ways forward.

'Tell me Scarecrow, did Mother make it through?' Baba asked, his gaze softening at the mention of the wild woman.

'She did, but she was sent to a different prison. We haven't heard anything of her since.' Shane nodded, remembering how well Mother and Baba had gotten along. 'She'll be glad to know you're alive and well, if we could just get a message to her.'

'There is a chance she already knows. Renard was with me for that bodyguard job. I don't know where she was taken after we were charged with dereliction of duty, endangering a Senator and his family and several other false charges.' Baba shrugged, noting the way Shane's eyes lit up at the mention of the pretty Frenchwoman. 'Ah, yes Scarecrow she does still wonder whatever happened to you.'

'Hopefully one day we'll all be reunited and can talk freely. The constant vigilance of these guards is starting to get seriously old.' Shane grinned, glancing around quickly. 'Trandoshan bogies on Rufus. I count four.'

'Oh fuck, I hate those damn lizards.' Aloysius groaned, not really in the mood to get into it with those overgrown geckos.

'Allow me; most in here respect my strength and abilities.' Baba uttered, getting to his feet and turning to face the Trandoshan quartet. 'Bossk, must we do this every time you feel a need to be punished? These four are under my protection, now walk away.'

Everyone was tense, waiting to see what Bossk would do. Usually he wouldn't try it with Baba but he had been stirring up a lot of trouble for the Terra Stalkers quartet. Leaving the table, the rest of the group formed up around Baba, making it perfectly clear that this time, they had the numbers and the strength to beat Bossk and his buddies. Hissing at the increased team against them, two of the Trandoshans turned and left but Bossk was refusing to play this one smart. Shaking his head slowly, Baba stepped forward again and grabbed Bossk by the shoulders. Growling low in his throat, the big Frenchman turned him around and kicked him up the ass, sending the smaller Trandoshan flying.

'You really will have to learn soon Bossk.' Baba called, turning and going back to the group.

With a roar, a younger human, probably only about 18, came flying over the table and tackled Shane, driving him to the ground. Shaking his head, Rufus bent and grabbed the young man by the back of his jumpsuit, jerking sharply to pry him off Shane.

'Now, Boba, really? And here I thought you were smarter than that.' Rufus scoffed, swinging him back and pitching Boba halfway across the mess hall.

'That kid will never learn.' Shane shrugged, rolling over and accepting David's helping hand up.

'Now we've gone and done it again.' Aloysius uttered, looking around as several fights broke out in the mess, the biggest two were over where Bossk had landed and where Boba had gone sliding along one of the tables.

'So we avoid this one.' David suggested, backing up to the wall and sinking to his knees, hands resting on his head.

'David's right, we've already made far too many enemies in here. And with the guards on high alert, it's not worth the risk.' Aloysius agreed, joining David near the wall, totally ignoring the brawling this time. Moving fast to avoid getting caught up in the fighting, the rest of the group soon settled by the wall, hands on their heads as they waited for the guards to put the fight down.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Groaning softly as she stirred, Mother cracked her eyes open and blinked in confusion. This wasn't the hospital wing. After that beating, she'd fully expected to be in there for a few days. But no, here she was looking up at another standard prison bunk, feeling very sore and sorry. She couldn't have taken that much damage if she was already back in her cell though. Attempting to sit up, her theory was proved very wrong. The pain from just a slight movement knocked her breath away again and she fell back, gasping for air.

Then someone was there, wiping a damp cloth over her face and gently supporting her head. Regaining her breath, Mother opened her eyes again and looked at the prisoner beside her, jaw dropping as she recognised the other woman.

'Renard?' she asked, mind reeling at this new revelation.

'Oui, I am here Mother. Rest, you are still not fully healed.' Renard nodded, smiling softly at the older woman. 'You are brave to stand up to Reska for so long, but we all knew it would not last.'

'How did you get here? Where have you been?' Mother gaped, unable to believe that an old comrade and friend was right there beside her.

'I have been here for a few years now, in truth I have lost track of how long it has been. I was arrested after the son of a Senator was killed while we were supposed to be protecting him. It was not our fault; the spoilt child gave us the slip.' Renard explained, dropping her gaze. 'You have not heard from Baba, have you? He was arrested at the same time; we were both supposed to keep an eye on that child.'

'No, I didn't even know he was around. The others might know where he is but I don't know where they are either. They were taken off the ship first, I don't know more than that.' Mother replied, stunned that Baba was somewhere around. 'How was he the last time you saw him?'

'The last time I saw him, he was doing very well. In the beginning, it was not easy to get him to put his Kord away but he soon fell in love with the Republic equivalent.' Renard grinned, glad that she wasn't along anymore. 'You mentioned others. Who else have you seen?'

'For the last few years I've been working with some other friends of mine. Scarecrow you know, Buck, Aloysius and Rufus, you haven't had the fun of meeting. Together we were the Terra Stalkers. You'd like them, Buck is a fellow Marine, Aloysius and Rufus are Bounty Hunters.' Mother explained, smiling at the memories of her friends.

Shifting a little, Mother rested one hand on her aching abdomen, trying to remember just what the hell had happened. She remembered the fight with Reska, the pair of them going at it in the mess hall with everything they had. Straining her memory, she recalled the end of the fight and her victory over the towering Wookiee but after that, everything was blank.

'What the fuck happened? I remember the fight and my win but after that, it's all black.' Mother sighed, shifting a little to find a more comfortable spot.

'I'm not surprised; you've been unconscious for the last four days. Reska did a lot of damage, but at least you survived. She's still in the hospital wing after your fight. You had severe internal bleeding; her punch did a fair bit of damage. You would normally still be in the hospital wing but a big brawl broke out yesterday and they needed space so you were transferred here to my cell where you would be safer.' Renard explained, shifting to sit on the side of the bunk.

'That explains why I feel like shit. I knew Wookiees packed a punch, never beaten one on my own before. Last time we tangled with Wookiees, I needed Aloysius and Shane to help me take out our target.' Mother nodded, carefully rolling into her side without straining her battered body too much. 'Fuck, I'm going to be feeling this one for a while.'

'Just settle back and relax Mother, there is no need to rush. The guards are under orders to treat you as if you are still in the hospital wing; your meals will be brought to you now that you're awake.' Renard soothed, very aware of just how close Mother had come to death. Guard Echo had explained the situation to her when Mother was brought in and settled.

'I am relaxed Renard, I'm not comfortable on my back.' Mother replied, head pillowed on her arm as she gently protected her stomach. 'I don't suppose you ever heard a whisper of my husband being in this galaxy? Ralph Newman?'

'Non, I haven't heard any whisper of his name. I remember your Ralph from after the Dragon Island incident, when we were in the Oval Office.' Renard shrugged, wishing she had better news. 'He is a good match for you.'

'I just wish I knew where he was. Through all my adventures across the galaxy, I haven't heard any hint of his location. I'm not sure whereto look anymore or even if he's still alive.' Mother sighed, her dazed and tired mind finally realising something else. 'New prosthetic or did they just repair the old temp?'

'According to Guard Echo, it's a new temporary leg. Your previous one was damaged beyond repair when you clubbed Reska with it.' Renard chuckled, getting to her feet when one of the guard transports approached the shield.

'How is prisoner 287 recovering today?' one of the guards asked, standing on the back of the transport and peering through the shield.

'She is awake, Guard Hardcase.' Renard replied, recognising his armour after so long in here. 'I am no medic but I believe she will be up to a slow walk through the corridors in another week or so. At the moment, she is still in great pain.'

'I've commed for Kix, he'll be the judge of her condition.' Hardcase nodded, used to the way Renard talked to them.

'You know these guys, Renard?' Mother asked, lifting her head slowly.

'Mother, I have been here for most of our time in this galaxy. I have gotten to know many of the guards here.' Renard shrugged, settling back beside Mother. 'I think I was free for three months, not long compared to your adventures.'

'Shit, I had no idea Renard. It's pointless but I'm sorry we couldn't help you see more of this galaxy.' Mother sighed, reaching out to lightly take one slim hand in her own meaty paw.

'It's alright Mother. In a way, I've seen the galaxy. Twi'leks, Nautolans, Wookiees and humanoids from every world. I've seen so many different races coming through this prison, I almost have seen as much of the galaxy as you.' Renard grinned, glancing back towards the door as the shield dropped to allow Kix entry. 'Good day Guard Medic Kix.'

'Good day Renard.' Kix replied, leaving his helmet with his comrades and entering the cell.


	5. Chapter 5

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Hope glimpsed

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Wondering why their comfortable routine had been so abruptly broken, the quartet accepted the binders around their wrists and allowed the guards to escort them down a completely different corridor. This was a part of the prison they'd never seen before, it was a little nicer than the rest of the place, brightly lit and the guard posts were less obvious. But just because the place wasn't as enclosing or threatening didn't mean the group was willing to let their guard down.

Led into a bright white room, hands still cuffed in front of them, they were surprised to see a lone figure standing at the heavily barred window and then shocked when the guards simply left them in private with this stranger. Swapping looks and moving closer, the quartet weren't exactly sure what to think but they were ready to fight if they had to do so.

Chuckling softly, the stranger turned from the sunlit window and smirked, looking the group over slowly. Jaws slack in awe and shock, the group returned the steady look, unable to believe who was standing right there in front of them. Dressed in dark blue jeans, a crowded utility belt, a black t-shirt, a white jacket with blue stripes and skin tight black gloves, there could be no mistaking just who was in the room with them.

'Come to gloat at last, Hunter?' Knight spat, his intense dislike of her hardly tempered by over 10 years of separation.

'Gloat? No Aloysius, I'm not here to gloat.' Emily grinned, indicating the table between them as she approached. 'Please, have a seat.'

'What do you want Emily?' Shane asked, pulling out a chair and settling quickly. 'I know you; you're not the kind of woman to bother with small talk.'

'Are you really in that much of a hurry to go back to your cell Shane?' Emily asked, joining the group at the table. 'I know we haven't always had the best of relationships, but that was in the past. This galaxy is different; it's brought changes out in most of us…but not all. I know I have changed a lot, I got married and had two kids with a third on the way.'

'Well congratulations but why should we care?' Rufus shrugged, glancing at Aloysius to check his reaction to the situation.

Forcing down her irritation, Emily stood and came around the table, pinning Rufus' wrists to the table with her right hand as she reached into her jacket with her left. Producing a digital key, she passed it over the binders, smiling softly as they fell away from his wrists. Moving around the table, she released them all and returned to her seat, hiding the key away inside her jacket again.

'You should care, Rufus, because like it or not, we are all in the same situation. Yes, it's true that you are locked up while I'm free to roam but the fact remains that we are far from home with no way to get back to the world we were born to inhabit. I was lucky to be found by the Jedi, my journey could have gone the same way yours did. I can help you, if you will just let me do so.' she explained, resting her hands on the tabletop lightly.

'With you, there's always a price Emily.' Buck growled, refusing to be drawn into whatever game Emily was playing this time.

'The old me would have demanded a price, yes. But after all this time, I'm not looking for anything but some company. I'm lonely for reminders of Earth. Do you know how long it's been since I could talk football or great cities without getting blank looks?' Emily sighed, her gaze softening as she spoke. 'I long for someone who understands what it's like to be completely isolated from home. As great as the life is I've built here is, it's not Earth.'

Nodding slowly, the group thought about what she'd said. They missed Earth too; it was comfortable and familiar, not like this galaxy. This galaxy was amazing, so full of new things to learn and discover even after so long here, but it would never compare with their homeworld, the naïve, innocent and humbly beautiful Earth.

'Before we get too deep into this conversation, there's something else you should know Emily.' Shane sighed, hoping he wasn't making a big mistake. 'There are two other men from Earth here. We met by pure chance in the mess hall a few days ago. I'll vouch for them both; I've worked with them over the years.'

'Two more, you say? Tell me more Shane; I can likely work my magic for them as well.' Emily nodded, latching onto the first sign of trust regrowing between them.

'One is American, David Fairfax. He's a technical whiz; no code is unbreakable to him. He's been there to support me on a few occasions. The other is a Frenchman, Master Sergeant Jean-Claude François Michel Huguenot. He was originally part of a French team sent to kill me in the artic but after we saved him, he helped us save the world.' Shane explained, locking eyes with Emily as he spoke. 'Prisoners 179 and 152 respectively.'

'179 and 152. Got it.' Emily nodded, getting to her feet and walking over to open the door. 'I wish to speak with prisoners 179 and 152.'

'Of course Captain Hunter. Are we escorting 180, 181, 182 and 183 back to their cell?' someone replied, respectful to Emily.

'No Sergeant, I am not finished with these four. I will speak with all six together.' Emily instructed, a note of authority in her voice. 'And have someone send proper refreshments, these men look half starved.'

'Of course Captain Hunter. Duke, head for the cafeteria and organise refreshments for seven.'

'Yes Sergeant.'

Closing the door again, Emily returned to the table and stretched, clearing displaying the holsters hidden under her jacket. For now, they were empty but it was clear she was comfortable with a pair of Republic issue pistols under her arms.

'So, what have you been doing with your life Emily?' Aloysius asked, trying to follow Shane's example and trust in Emily.

'I served with distinction throughout the Clone Wars, fighting alongside the famous 501st. I saw action from the first Battle of Geonosis right through to the final battle of the war. I was there when the Sith Empire was destroyed, I took the shots that killed Chancellor Palpatine and his apprentice Vader. After the war ended, I took my place as a Captain in the newly formed 6th Coruscant Guard Battalion, the Blue Guard. My husband, Commander Rex, leads the Battalion through thick and thin, lending me what troops I need to put down insurgencies throughout the galaxy. Our daughter you've already met. Kitty took up the Bounty Hunting once she was old enough to stand on her own two feet. Our son, Ricky, went in the other direction. He is now a junior Senator, studying under Senator Amidala of Naboo. Soon, we will welcome a third child. I also stand up for the clones, making sure their rights are never threatened. They sacrificed much to protect this galaxy, it's the least I can do for them.' Emily listed, giving a rough brief of everything she'd endured throughout her time in this galaxy.

Leaning back in their seats, no one knew what to say in response to her casually given summary of her life. She'd been a big part of galactic history and yet to her, it meant nothing. Her name was recorded in history, a great hero of the Republic but she was much happier to be a wife, mother and most importantly, a friend to the clones.

'I should have realised that was you Emily. Your name is part of Republic history, spread throughout the recordings of the Clone Wars. I never thought to put the name and deeds together.' Buck commented, shaking his head in wonder.

'Back in those days, I wore full clone armour at all times. I wanted to be one of the guys, experiencing the war through their eyes. Even when Rex, then a Captain, lost his commission due to a career ending injury and I was promoted to the top spot in the 501st, I was still one of the guys.' Emily nodded, removing her jacket and hanging it on the back of her chair before sitting again.

Staring at her arms as she peeled off her gloves, no one knew what to say as they took in the crisp white paint job with the multi-coloured vines curling over it, running from under her t-shirt right down to her fingertips of her right arm.

'What the hell happened to your arm?' Buck asked, shocked by what was obviously painted metal.

'I gave my arm to protect my brothers, the brave men of the 5th and 6th Coruscant Guard Battalions. We were quelling an uprising on the dark world of Umbara, we had no idea of the dark plot unfolding around us. We were betrayed by a twisted Jedi Master, he felt clones were less than human because they are clones. I went toe-to-toe with that Jedi, wielding a blade that is surrounded in mystery. I was able to remove one of his arms before he took mine. But whereas I survived to leave that planet, his bones are probably still where I slaughtered him.' Emily grinned, stretching out her hand in invitation.

'I didn't think the Republic-made prosthetics looked anything like this.' Rufus remarked, reaching out to lightly touch her fingertips. 'It's warm, like a flesh hand but it's hard like steel.'

'This isn't a standard Republic build. I'm sure that wherever you've been in the galaxy, you've heard about the Martian race that also served in the Clone Wars, charging into battle on their great motorbikes.' Emily nodded, flexing her fingers lightly.

'Yeah, we've heard of them. It was a surprise to learn that Mars was inhabited.' Aloysius replied, also stretching out to touch Emily's replacement hand. 'Whoa, that's the weirdest sensation ever.'

'This is a Martian custom built limb. Up here, the interface plate links flesh and cybernetics. Everything from blood vessels, nerves, muscles and bone is hooked into the interface plate. Below the interface plate, all the systems of a human arm are translated into cables, electronics, pistons and sensors. Tender or tough, this impressive piece of hardware can handle it all. Hidden inside these steel fingers, I have maintenance tools for my weapons, hacking equipment and various other bits of gear. Here in my wrist, a grappling system and behind that, a foldaway heavy cannon. I also have a lightning generator, various sensors and scanners and a hideaway blaster pistol.' Emily smirked, shocking them again with the sheer amount of equipment and technology packed into her arm.

Looking up when the door opened again, Emily stood and smiled as two more prisoners were escorted inside and left to stand there like fools as the guards left.

'Scarecrow, what is going on?' the bigger one asked, watching Emily closely.

'It's alright Baba, she's a friend. This is Emily Hunter, we worked together long before I met you.' Shane replied, turning his attention back to Emily. 'These are the right prisoners, Emily. Jean-Claude Huguenot and David Fairfax.'

'You had better not be yanking my chain Scarecrow. I will not hesitate to harm you if you are trying to fool me this time.' Emily warned, reaching into her jacket for the electronic key.

'No tricks Emily, these are the right people.' Shane promised, not wanting to find out just how much Emily had learned during her time with the clones. 'On my honour as a Marine, I am not trying to deceive you.'

'I believe you Shane.' Emily nodded, approaching the pair and unlocking their cuffs. 'Have a seat gentlemen, we have much to discuss.'

Before they could pick up their conversation again, someone else knocked on the door before entering and setting a tray full of food from the clone cafeteria. Behind him came another clone bearing a tray of sealed drinks of different varieties.

'Thank you Duke and Trip.' Emily grinned, dismissing them with a wave. Snapping to attention, the pair saluted before turning on their heels and leaving the room. 'Go for it guys, the prison food is probably pretty rough.'

'You have no idea, Emily.' Aloysius nodded, reaching for a sandwich. 'You didn't…'

'Relax Aloysius, if I wanted you dead, there are easier ways than poisoning gifted food. A shiny guard stumbling on a transport in the prison tower for example.' Emily cut him off, reaching for a sandwich and taking a bite just to prove it wasn't dangerous.

'The guards mentioned you asked for us specifically. Why? I don't know you.' David asked, accepting one of the drinks.

'Like you David, I am not of this galaxy. I came from Earth just like you did. When Shane mentioned you were both here, I knew I had to extend the same offer to you both as I extended to them. I will do my utmost to help you gain your freedom, regardless of the charges.' Emily replied, relishing this time among her own people.

'What about Renard?' Baba asked, his question confusing Emily.

'We hadn't gotten to that part yet Baba.' Shane sighed, dropping his gaze for a moment. 'Renard, Veronique Champion was arrested with Baba. I don't suppose you know where she might be?'

'I think there is a Renard Champion in the 6th Guard Battalion women's prison. I would have to check to be sure, there are nearly 2000 women in there. But if she's in any of the Coruscant Guard run prisons, I will find her and offer her the same helping hand.' Emily promised, tapping at something on her arm. 'This is Captain Hunter requesting a full prisoner database search for Veronique Champion AKA Renard.'

"Search commencing now, Captain." A metallic voice replied, brisk and efficient.

'Don't be alarmed, it's the AI voice of the Coruscant Guard database system. If anyone can find where Renard is, he can.' she explained, closing the small commlink back out of sight.

'What about Mother?' Rufus asked, thinking of the fifth member of their team.

'After I am done here, I'll go talk to her. Hopefully she's as receptive as you have turned out to be. Given the latest reports on her status, I think she'll be glad to get her freedom.' Emily grinned, unclipping a datapad from her belt.

'What's happened to her?' Shane asked, worried for his dearest friend.

'Mother and a Wookiee prisoner, Reska, have been butting heads since Mother was locked up. Every time they're in the same room together, they're going at each other tooth and nail. The last one put Mother in the hospital wing for three days before she was transferred to a new cell, far from the reach of Reska's friends. Reska did not survive their last encounter. According to the reports from the guards on duty, Mother removed her prosthetic and used it to club Reska while Reska was choking her.' Emily briefed, scrolling through the report. 'Mother sustained internal injuries to her abdominal area, requiring surgery and bacta treatment. She is recovering well under the watchful eye of prisoner 204.'

Thinking for a moment, Baba lifted his gaze from the stark white tabletop and waited for Emily to lift her gaze. He wasn't sure if he should ask her what he wanted to ask but he had to know one way or the other.

'Something is wrong, Jean-Claude?' Emily asked, giving him her full attention.

'It's okay Baba, you can trust Emily.' Shane nodded, coaxing him to take the step.

'Quelque chose vous préoccupe, Jean-Claude?' Emily tried again, hoping she hadn't mangled the language too much. Her French was decidedly rusty.

'Je me demandais si vous pourriez obtenir un message à Mère et Renard, pour leur faire savoir que je suis ici. Renard et moi avons été arrêtés ensemble et j'ai eu un endroit doux pour Mère puisque nous nous sommes rencontrés il ya si longtemps sur la Terre.' Jean-Claude replied, forcing Emily to really think about what he was saying.

Managing to get the gist of what he wanted, Emily nodded and started tapping at her datapad, securing her files and bringing up an empty document. Spinning the datapad around, she slid it across the table to him, the invitation clear.

'I'm sure Renard and Mother will be grateful to hear from you. No tricks though, I'm risking a lot to help you all.' she offered, picking up another sandwich. 'I really need to practise my French, I am seriously out of practise. Just translating your request was an effort.'

'Perhaps you could come visit regularly and we can practise together. I miss my native language.' Jean-Claude agreed, picking up the stylus and starting to write.

'One problem at a time Jean-Claude. First I'll try to get you all out of here, then we'll see what happens.' Emily shrugged, a weight lifted from her shoulders at such a beautiful reminder of Earth. She knew several of the languages but with no one to talk to in those languages, she missed the sounds of Earth so much. At least with Jean-Claude, she could keep one such language alive.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Gratefully accepting the help from two of the guards, Hardcase and Jesse, Mother made her way slowly along the corridors towards the visitor's room. Behind her, Renard was just as confused about this one. No one had ever come to visit her in all her long years in the prison system. Reaching the door into a private room, Kix stepped past and palmed the lock, allowing the group to enter.

Guided to a couch against the wall and easing down, Mother was glad to be off her feet at last. Her abdominal region was really protesting the movement, making it all the harder to get comfortable on the couch. Kix was right there to help though, giving her a mild painkiller to ease the worst of her discomfort.

'I've said it once and I'll say it again Renard, these guys are the cutest.' Mother grinned, admiring the brilliant blush that spread over Kix's cheeks.

'Cuter than Scarecrow?' Renard asked, winking at Hardcase.

'Hmm, now that's a tough one. Scarecrow's a sexy little fuck, these guys are just plain cute.' Mother shrugged, sniggering as Kix's blush got even deeper.

'It's official Kix, your reputation as a tough guy just went to hell.' another voice broke in, a voice that Mother recognised.

'Aww, c'mon Captain. I'm not used to women complimenting how we look, even after all these years.' Kix replied, turning to the speaker.

'I do have to agree though, you are cute.' she chuckled, turning away from the window. 'Now be a dear and go get some decent refreshments while I talk to these two. And no slacking off, we both know that prison food is no substitute for a proper meal.'

'Of course, Captain Hunter.' Jesse nodded, following his brothers out and securing the door.

Watching the other woman cross the room, Mother could only stare in amazement and disbelief. There she was, after all the doubting and debating over her presence in this galaxy, Emily Hunter had finally turned up.

'You know this woman, Mother?' Renard asked, also watching Emily closely.

'Yeah, we worked together for a while before she went rogue.' Mother nodded, not taking her eyes off Emily.

'Mother, we can point fingers and dredge up the past but really, it's not going to help. I'm sure you'd much rather hear how Scarecrow and the others are fairing.' Emily shrugged, grabbing two chairs and approaching the couch.

Accepting one of the chairs with a quiet thank you, Renard settled close to Mother, still responsible for her ongoing recovery. Unhooking a datapad from her crowded utility belt, Emily sat and reached into her jacket for her electronic key. Holding it in her left hand, she reached out and freed Renard from her binders, watching as the slim, dark haired woman gently set them under her chair.

'Now that I have your attention, let me explain why I am here. I have a certain pull in this galaxy. People from Senators to Jedi and right up to the Chancellor. If you are willing to forgive and forget the pains of the past, I will put my abilities and owed favours towards getting you both released from this hellhole. Renard, I know we have never met before but certain people were quite concerned for your safety and were relieved to know you were alright. Mother, apart from the team you worked with as part of the Terra Stalkers, I learned that two more men, men you know in one way or another, were also pulled into this galaxy.' Emily explained, tapping the datapad lightly. 'I bring with me messages from them all and a pass that will allow you to send replies under my authority. This pass is a permanent thing until your freedom is secured, the eight of you will have free ability to message regularly.'

'You found my Ralphy?' Mother asked, eyes lighting up as her heart soared.

'I was unaware that Ralph had jumped as well.' Emily replied, dropping her gaze and flipping the commlink out of her arm. 'This is Captain Hunter requesting a full Coruscant Guard database search for a Ralph Newman, husband of Gena "Mother" Newman. There is an Earth Jump link.'

"Search commencing now, Captain. Search parameters are broad, please be patient or narrow search parameters."

'Search parameters stand, TRAD.' Emily growled, slapping her commlink closed. 'I really hate that search program but if Ralph is out there, he won't stay hidden for too long.'

Activating her datapad and bringing up the first message, Emily offered the 'pad out to Renard, a soft smile reassuring her that this was all for a purpose. Accepting the datapad, Renard gazed at the screen for a moment before her jaw dropped in amazement. Reading the rough scrawl of her old friend, she smiled and wiped a tear from her eye, his voice echoing in her mind.

'I miss you too, Baba.' she uttered, scrolling down further. 'Here, he wrote you a message as well Mother. It's from Baba, he is alive and well.'

'Baba, I've missed him so much' Mother lit up, accepting the datapad and starting to read. 'Not as much as my Ralph but its good to know he's alive and doing okay.'

Barely noticing when Jesse came back with a tray of sandwiches and sealed drinks, Mother was totally engrossed in the letter from Baba, her mind filled with memories of the fun they'd had on Dragon Island. They had faced hell together, his life had been in her hands and they had survived, closest of friends with a spark of something more between them but it would never be serious between them, she had Ralph.

Reaching the end of the heartfelt letter, Mother didn't even realise tears were falling until Renard lightly squeezed her shoulder, pulling her out of her memories.

'Did he say something wrong? For a Frenchman, Baba has little tact for the subtle art of romance.' Renard asked, deeply concerned for the bigger woman.

'No, nothing like that Renard. He reminded me of the days I held his life in these powerful hands. All alone in a dingy little Russian mini sub, no idea if Scarecrow or anyone else was alive out there. I got so caught up in this new life here that I forgot all about those days, endless hours of worrying if my efforts would be enough to save him. He still can't believe that I saved him with a new MRE pack and a canteen of water.' Mother replied, smiling fondly at the memories even as more tears fell. 'And he thinks of me fondly every time he looks at the still bulging scar right in the middle of his chest.'

'If anyone could save someone with such an odd combo of items, it had to be you Mother.' Emily grinned, shaking her head in disbelief. 'Baba is an interesting man, that's for sure.'

'You don't know him like we do Emily. When I first met him, he told me he eats like a bear, drinks like a Viking, kills like a lion and makes love like a silverback gorilla. I'd believe it too.' Mother replied, handing the datapad back to Emily.

Reaching into one of the many pouches on her belt, Emily pulled out two smaller, general use datapads and linked them to her main one, transferring several documents to each before cutting link and holding them out to her companions.

'Keep these on you at all times. You are the only two women in here that are lucky enough to have private holonet access. These mini-pads have been specifically modified so you can only use them to send messages to the other mini-pads in the network. I have just downloaded the first set of messages from your friends onto these ones, exactly as the guys wrote them. Do not betray my trust in giving you these, I can just as easily make your lives living hell.' Emily briefed, totally serious and they both knew it. 'I have informed the guards that you have them but they are not permitted to see them or read anything on them. I am also linked into the network and will be keeping an eye on things just to be certain that this freedom is not being abused.'

'I understand Emily.' Mother nodded, glancing at the messages waiting for her to deal with. 'I don't remember this Fairfax. Must be a friend of Scarecrow's.'

'He used to be DIA. He started out by helping with the Area 7 situation, was feeding Shane Intel during the infamous Bounty Hunt and got dragged into the Dragon Island mess.' Emily guided, recalling what Shane had told her.

'Oh yeah, I remember him now. Skinny kid with glasses and shaggy brown hair.' Mother replied, casting her mind right back to the few times she'd met David.

'I do not have a Fairfax on my message list. Just Baba and Shane.' Renard mused, looking at her screen and wondering who to answer first.

'You haven't met the others yet. You'll like them though, they're nice guys once you get to know them. Buck is a strong, quiet type. Aloysius is a lot like Scarecrow, they both have a habit of destroying stuff. Rufus, he's kinda shy and tends to be distrusting of women he doesn't know. David, well he's a computer nerd but when you're in trouble, his abilities to get information is a big help.' Mother described, clicking off her mini-pad and tucking it in the pocket of her jumpsuit so she wasn't distracted.

Bringing her chair closer, Emily removed her jacket and opened a small panel in her cybernetic wrist, slowly working her fingers and watching the pistons inside. Frowning faintly, she reached in with one flesh finger and adjusted a few settings, still moving her fingers slowly.

'What the fuck is that Emily? What happened to you?' Mother asked, staring in shock at the complex mechanics revealed under the shining paintjob.

'One moment, Mother. These adjustments are tricky to get perfect.' Emily replied, not looking up from her careful manipulations. 'Just got to get my trigger finger set again.'

Going through the motions of loading and firing a weapon, Emily nodded and closed the small panel, resting her brightly painted right hand on her knee lightly.

'In answer to your question, Mother, I lost my arm while serving with the 6th Coruscant Guard Battalion on the shadowy world of Umbara. A tainted Jedi Master attacked the clones, I struck back in their defence. Losing my arm was a small price to pay to end the life of such an evil creature and protect those I have come to care so deeply about.' Emily explained, lightly tracing one of the blue vines. 'In time, if things go to plan and I am able to get you released, you could have something like this, Mother. Forget about weak Republic prosthetics, I'll see that you get a proper Martian custom built leg with whatever fancy bits of equipment you want.'

'Just like that? There's got to be more to your offer Emily, I know you.' Mother pushed, instantly suspicious of the offer.

'No, you knew the old Emily Hunter. I'm a different person now Mother. I'm happily married with two kids and a third on the way. I don't want for anything that can be purchased, my position in the Coruscant Guard keeps me busy and the pay is good. There is just one thing I could ask for, simple company from people that understand what I'm going through. People that know how beautiful Paris is at night, people that know how to paly football or just people that I can share my memories of Earth with.' Emily shrugged, dropping her gaze for a moment. 'Ou peut-être quelqu'un de pratiquer mon français avec. Je suis rouillé, cela fait des années depuis que j'ai eu quelqu'un d'autre parler, et encore moins deux.'

Chuckling softly, Renard was impressed by Emily's attempt at the French language. The words weren't perfectly clear but for someone who wasn't a natural speaker and had no one else to converse with, it was understandable that her skills were lacking.

'Pardonnez-moi de le dire, mais cela montre que vous n'avez pas pratiqué. Vos feuilles françaises beaucoup à désirer, mais avec Baba, cela doit être prévu. Il parle dans sa barbe trop pour être facile à comprendre. Un peu dommage, s'il essayait, il pourrait séduire une femme avec quelques mots doux.' Renard offered, slowing down so Emily could keep up with the language.

'Si je n'étais pas une femme mariée, je pourrais être tenté par Jean-Claude. Il ya un certain ... comment voulez-vous dire ... aura captivante de son être qui est proche irrésistible. J'ai failli tomber dans son sort, mais je suis une femme fidèle ... et mon huband est à peu près aussi dire comme elles viennent quand ses proches sont menacés.' Emily nodded, finding her comfort zone with the language slowly.

'Uhh, for those of us who don't speak fluent French?' Mother asked, confused eyes flicking between them in question.

'Sorry about that Mother, got a little carried away.' Emily flushed, snapping her focus back to the present. 'I was suggesting I could practise my French with Renard. I am rusty, it's been years since I had someone else to speak with, much less two.'

'Forgive me for saying so, but it shows you have not been practising. Your French leaves much to be desired but with Baba, this is to be expected. He speaks into his beard too much to be easily understood. A shame really, if he tried he could woo any woman with a few sweet words.' Renard continued, easily translating between French and Galactic Standard Basic.

'Were I not a married woman, I might be tempted by Jean-Claude. There's a certain...how do you say it...captivating aura about his being that is near irresistible. I nearly fell into his spell but I am a faithful wife...and my huband is about as mean as they come when his loved ones are threatened.' Emily finished, glancing at Renard to make sure the translations were reasonable.

'A close translation Emily, perhaps you are not as rusty as you thought.' Renard mused, quite pleased with her efforts.

'I try to keep in practise but I fear most of my language skills have fallen by the wayside. Gaining back one is a good start but there are so many others that will forever be forgotten.' Emily shrugged, shaking her head slowly.

Sliding off her chair, Emily knelt beside the couch and offered out her cybernetic arm to Mother, letting her examine it up close. Eyes widening again, Mother reached out and lightly touched the painted metal, tracing the vines and admiring the graceful curves. She looked up when Emily flinched, the metal twitching under Mother's exploring fingers.

'It's okay Mother, you just hit a ticklish spot. I can feel every touch against the plating, it's packed with sensors.' Emily explained, guiding Mother's fingers away from that spot on the inside of her upper arm.

'It's so beautifully designed, the curves and muscle lines match your flesh arm.' Mother remarked, comparing Emily's flesh and steel hands.

'Revs and Wheelie are nothing if not talented craftsmen. Wheelie and his team build them from scratch then Revs and his team install them in about an hour.' Emily nodded, perfectly content to let Mother look and explore what she could have. 'Each one is specifically crafted to match the contours of the remaining limb so under long sleeves, steel can't be told from flesh.'

'This thing is amazing but I don't see the bulk of the usual socket and stump join.' Mother agreed, stunned by what Emily was offering her.

'That's because there isn't one.' Emily shrugged, rolling up her sleeve to show the glistening grey interface plate hiding the join between steel and flesh. 'This line here marks the point where flesh and cybernetics come together to give me full movement and sensation in the prosthetic.'

Shifting Mother's hands to fully support her cybernetics, Emily reached up and pulled at eight small pins in the interface plate, feeling more than hearing the dull clunk as the two plates disengaged. The minimal separation between the plates allowed her to open another small access panel that she could get her fingers into. Working three fingers into the opening, Emily was able to feel the connection switches, eight of them in a neat row hidden deep inside the complex structures of the bottom interface plate half. Flipping the switches in the right sequence, the two plate halves completely disengaged, dropping the full weight into Mother's hands.

Catching the heavy weight of the limb, Mother was first stunned that Emily had just removed her arm and then was surprised by the actual weight of the replacement arm. Turning it around, she looked at the interface plate half left on the arm, astounded that the full use and sensation of a human arm was translated down into seven small ports arranged around a larger port, all eight sealed with spiralling irises.

Nodding slowly, Emily lifted her stump to show the matching half of the plate, the same eight ports in position but whereas the ports in the arm were sunken into the surface, the end on her arm had raised ports, reaching out for the matching half.

'I had no idea this thing would be so heavy. It seems out of balance with your left arm.' Mother remarked, hefting the weight experimentally.

'It is heavier but is has to be in order to support everything hidden inside those curves. That arm is more than just a prosthetic. It is a weapon, a computer linkup, an upgraded Maghook system, a weapons maintenance kit and so much more. Here in the palm is a tiny version of the shock systems you encountered while in Kitty's custody. Up in the bicep, sealed against unauthorised access, I have a hideaway pistol. Plus a full scanner network, allowing me to get accurate readings on just about any situation.' Emily explained, leaning against the couch and doing her best with just one available hand.

Shifting on the couch, Mother couldn't believe the power and technology hidden behind the elegantly painted finish. Running her hands over the vines and simple background, she wasn't sure what to ask first. There was so much she wanted to know, but she had no idea where to start with the questioning.

'Speak your mind, Mother. Whatever you want to know, I'm here to offer my own insights into cybernetics. I can offer some understanding of cybernetic legs as well, my Rex has one from the knee down.' Emily coaxed, listening as Renard turned her attention to the food on the table.

'Does it hurt? I remember I had a lot of phantom pain after I first lost my leg.' Mother asked, not the smartest question but it seemed like a good place to start.

'In the beginning, there is some discomfort as flesh and steel become attuned. The weight can be quite startling in the beginning as well, it took me a few days to really get used to the weight of my arm. Given that you'll likely switch straight from a temp like you've got now straight to a cybernetic leg, I doubt you'll have trouble getting up on it after the surgery. Rex went for almost a year between losing his leg and getting his cybernetic, he struggled with it for a couple of weeks before really getting a handle on his replacement.' Emily nodded, understanding what Mother really wanted to know.

'How does it actually connect? I see the two plates but how does it work?' Mother queried, going back to her examination of the plate half.

'The main port in the middle is where the bone connects to the support structure of the arm. The other seven ports connect nerves, muscles and everything else. The only thing that doesn't link through the plate is the blood vessels, those are tied off up in my shoulder. If you look behind that small panel there, you'll see the eight connection switches. Each switch controls one of the ports. Once the plate halves are in the right position, the switches are flicked to open the ports and release the connectors inside. From both sides, those connectors reach out and lock together, holding the plates firmly in place until the eight locking pins are secured.' Emily explained, pointing out the different components as she spoke.

Coming up onto one knee, Emily reached out her stump and smiled as Mother turned the cybernetic to match up before holding it steady and watching as Emily reconnected the internal structures then pushed against Mother's grip to line up the locking pins so she could resecure her arm fully.

'And just like that, it's all reattached. I don't take it off very often, I don't need to. I've learned to do running repairs on it with my left hand and it's fully sealed against water, sand, dust or any small debris that could damage the internals.' Emily grinned, flexing her steel fingers slowly.

'What do I have to do Emily?' Mother asked, a new flash of life in her eyes.

'For now, there's not much you can do. Recover from your duel with Reska and stay out of trouble. That goes for you as well Renard, stay out of trouble. Whatever comes up, keep your heads down and do your best to avoid any more black marks on your records. Renard you've done a fine job keeping your record so clean since you were imprisoned, the next step should be easy with your case. Mother, you're really going to have to work at becoming a model prisoner. It's going to be hard enough to get you off the hook without you causing any more incidents.' Emily instructed, pushing to her feet. 'Leave the rest to me, you just focus on keeping your nose clean. Got it?'

'Yeah Emily, I got it. But you don't have to worry about me now, I'm top bitch in our section and that's more than I wanted.' Mother nodded, accepting the drink Emily handed her.

'Oui Emily, I understand.' Renard added, not really concerned about the warning. She had no intentions of marring her perfect record now.

Pulling on her jacket and gloves, Emily secured her command datapad and smiled as Mother and Renard finished off the sandwiches so kindly organised for them. Waiting until they were finished, Emily headed for the door, looking back over her shoulder as se reached for the controls slowly.

'I'll be in touch with news of your cases. Remember what I told you, stay out of trouble and enjoy your special gift. Be strong, I'll give this one my best shot. I ask for your patience, it will take time to sort this mess out.' she offered, index finger of her right finger folding open and extending a connection wire into the door controls.

'We'll remember Emily.' Mother promised, patting her secret mini-pad.

'Best of luck Emily.' Renard grinned, planning to talk to Mother about Emily later.

'Stay strong my friends, this will all are over soon.' Emily promised, stepping out into the corridor. 'Change of the guard already? Take those two back to their cell and remember to be extra careful with 287.'

'We're on it Captain.' three voices mingled together, eager to please Emily.

'That sounds like Guard Hevy, Guard Droidbait and Guard Cutup.' Renard called, showing just how much she'd learnt during her imprisonment.


	6. Chapter 6

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Negotiations

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Dressing in her full formal uniform, Emily strode through the Senate rotunda, her long black warriors cloak sweeping the floor behind her. Head held high, datapad in her hand; she headed straight up to the Chancellor's office for what she expected to be a very long day. This was going to be a long battle, she had a lot of people to convince but if she pulled it off, it wouldn't be long before her friends would taste freedom again.

Stepping out of the turbo lift, she approached the Chancellor's office, smiling fondly at Sketch and Punch as they snapped to attention then reached out to open the doors for her. Acknowledging them with a nod and a returned salute, Emily crossed the threshold and waited patiently for the inner doors to open and admit her entrance to the sanctum of Chancellor Kryze of Mandalore.

Going back over her argument points, Emily showed no sign of her inner frustrations at how long she was being forced to wait. Satine knew she was coming, Emily had sent a formal request to speak with her today, at exactly 10 o'clock in the morning. It was now 10:25 and still the Chancellor was keeping her waiting. If nothing, Satine knew just how to annoy Emily.

10:45 and the inner doors finally opened, allowing Emily to enter the main office and join the group. Satine's reason for delaying their meeting was also made clear. Her husband Throttle and their daughters Anya and Emma were relaxed on the couch, enjoying some rare family time.

'Duke Throttle, I did not realise you were here. Your daughters grow more beautiful each day.' Emily offered, bowing at the waist in respect.

'You should have been a diplomat Emily.' Throttle grinned, getting to his feet. 'Come on girls, we can come back and mom will read you another story later.'

'Okay daddy.' they chirped, jumping off the couch and taking his hands.

'If you need anything Satine…' Throttle started, heading for the door leading to their apartment.

'I will call Throttle.' Satine nodded, looking up from her work.

Pushing all thoughts of her own children back into the family section of her mind and sealing them away, Emily snapped to attention and saluted, paying proper respect to Satine.

'I apologise for keeping you waiting Emily. You said you wished to speak with me regarding something of the utmost importance.' Satine offered, motioning for Emily to sit.

'That is correct Chancellor. I also need to speak with Senator Organa of Alderaan and Senator Krisha of Pantora.' Emily nodded, flaring out her cloak and settling comfortably.

'I did summon them to this meeting. They will be here shortly.' Satine promised, making it clear that she would lead this discussion. 'While we wait, perhaps you could explain why you asked to speak with us so urgently.'

'It would be more efficient to wait until everyone is here rather than going through it twice.' Emily replied, letting Satine know that she wouldn't be calling the shots.

Getting up again when the two Senators were admitted into the grand office, Emily bowed to them and waited for them to sit before easing back down and activating her datapad.

'Chancellor, Senators, I come before you with one goal in mind. For now, do not be concerned with my goal, everything will become clear in turn. First of all, I wish to thank you all for agreeing to this meeting and I hope we are able to come to an agreement of sorts regarding certain people currently under the care of the Coruscant Guard prison teams.' Emily started, setting her helmet on the floor.

'The Coruscant Guard prison system is not under our control. Why should we care?' Krisha demanded, his yellow facial tattoos harsh and angry, not like the feminine grace of Senator Chuchi. 'Speak with your Commanders on this matter, we have more important things to think about than prisoners.'

'Senator Krisha, without your agreement, these particular prisoners cannot be released. Even if every member of the Coruscant Guard agreed they should be free, without the agreement of everyone in this room, it cannot happen.' Emily replied, maintaining her control. She'd known from the start that convincing Krisha would be the hard part.

'Why the sudden interest in these particular prisoners Emily? You have never really cared about the judicial side of Coruscant Guard duties before.' Organa asked, turning to look at her closely.

'These particular prisoners are special. They are not ordinary criminals, they are part of a very special group in this galaxy. The eight prisoners I am interested in are my people.' Emily explained, swinging her gaze back to Satine. 'With your permission Chancellor, I need to connect with your holoprojector.'

'Of course Emily.' Satine nodded, tapping at her desk controls. 'Access is open for you.'

'Thank you Chancellor.' Emily replied, opening the link and connecting to the holoprojector.

Knowing it would take a lot more work to convince Krisha to give his blessing, Emily started on the easy part of the job, tapping at a sequence of holograms and turning her attention to Senator Organa again. He wasn't looking at her anymore though, his gaze was locked on the holoprojector, watching the sequence of images slowly changing.

'You recognise these people, do you Senator Organa?' she asked, glancing at the images as a rather nice one of Aloysius came up, his strong body tensed in readiness.

'I do Emily. They made an attempt on my life three years ago. Many attempts have been made to catch them since. Now you're here trying to convince me to let them free again?' Organa nodded, turning to look at Emily again. 'I do not so easily forgive and forget.'

'Senator, I know these five personally. Three of them I served along side in the defence of my home country, the other two I met after leaving the military. This puts me in a unique position in this situation. I can say, with absolute certainty, if that group truly meant you harm, we would not be having this conversation. These five people do not miss unless they do not intend to claim a life. They took the honourable option, turning their backs on the money and letting you live. Doing so gained them a lot of powerful enemies but that's nothing new for those five.' Emily explained, totally honest with her appraisal of the situation and hoping Senator Organa could tell how serious she was about this.

Looking up at the five people repeating through the sequence, Satine couldn't understand how Emily could feel any connection to these people. She was an upstanding member of society, a highly respected veteran of the Clone Wars, wife of the infamous Commander Rex, the one time leader of the 501st and mother to a very talented junior Senator. But somehow, she could push all that to the side and consider these dark and evil people her friends.

'Before I was pulled through to this galaxy and rescued by the Jedi, I was no different to those five are now. I was a Bounty Hunter, I killed for a living and I felt no sorrow for doing such things. But this galaxy, it's changed me so much. I turned away from being a cold, calculating killer and let people into my heart again. I never thought it would be possible that there were other people I knew out there but we found Charley and her friends. I started to hope that maybe others were out there, people more like me, people who understand my remembrances of Earth. I don't expect any of you to understand, your people have always been around. But for years, it has only been two for me, I only had Charley Kenobi to speak with and she doesn't fully understand my life choices.' Emily sighed, looking right at Satine as she spoke. 'You are not as good at hiding your thoughts as you think Chancellor. I see the confusion in your gaze. It is only by chance that I am not in prison for crimes committed while chasing a bounty.'

'You should be careful what you say, Emily.' Satine warned, eyes hardening as she tried to stare Emily down.

'And once more my point is proven. You do not understand me Chancellor, the life I have lived is strange to you. These people are my people, they understand what you cannot see.' Emily countered, getting to her feet. 'You do not see the woman behind this armour and these weapons. You look at me and see a mother, wife and war veteran. My people look at me and they see who I am, a lonely woman longing for the company of people who understand.'

Getting to his feet, Bail Organa rested his hands lightly on Emily's shoulders and turned her to face him, one hand sliding to tip her chin up until their eyes locked. Ignoring the tears falling silently, he searched for the truth hidden behind her pain. Blinking once, Emily let him see just how much this hurt. She allowed him beyond her barriers, showing him everything.

'I acknowledge your pain and loneliness Emily but I have to think of the risks. I need some assurance that you can keep those five from trying again before I allow them their freedom.' he nodded, keeping her focus solely on his face before she got into another yelling match with Satine over this topic.

'I already have them in my grasp, I know their weaknesses and have already discussed the situation with them. I promise you that I can teach them all to be honourable, respectable and upstanding members of society. It will take time but I have them in my grasp. There is little more I can do until they are released.' Emily offered, not willing to give up her complete plan to Satine, just in case.

'Emily, I can tell you're not giving me the full truth. Now, I will ask you again but this time, I expect the truth.' Organa pushed, catching her gaze again.

'I intend to use a variety of methods, including positive reinforcements, shock anklets and temptation. I already have their heavy gunner in my hand, she could not ignore her great temptation, a Martian cybernetic leg. Snagging their engineer/2IC is easy, the promise of a reunion with the Heavy Gunner. Their pilot is practically drooling at the chance to take to the air again, still chained to the ground but he'll be allowed to a certain height under guard. Hooking the pilot will bring their leader and with four onboard, their demolitions man/medic will fall into line with the rest of the group.' Emily explained, ignoring the sound of shock from Satine. 'I will be the anchor for the shock anklets, the range will have to be established so their presence will not affect my duties.'

Nodding slowly, Bail released her shoulders and stepped back, holding out his hand for her command datapad. Smiling faintly, Emily brought up the release forms for her first five companions and handed the datapad over, twirling the stylus between her fingers as she handed it over. Returning the smile, Bail signed the release forms with a flourish, reaching into one of his pockets for his authorisation coder. Connecting the coder to Emily's datapad, he made it official. Five of her friends were on the road to freedom.

'Thank you Senator Organa. I will keep you apprised of the situation with them.' Emily promised, accepting her datapad back and bowing low in the ultimate respect.

'I wish you the best of luck with this project Emily. And perhaps, when you've done all you can, we can all sit down and talk about this.' Bail nodded, returning the respect.

Turning to Senator Krisha, Emily changed the sequence on the holoprojector, switching down from five faces to just two - Renard and Baba. Almost immediately, Krisha shot to his feet and glared at Emily, his face darkening in anger.

'Those two murdered by son! I will never allow them to see the light of day again!' he roared, the old wound never properly healed. 'I know the Coruscant Guard helped to cover the truth!'

'Senator Krisha, I have it on good authority that those accusations are baseless. Renard and Baba are not responsible for the death of your son and the Coruscant Guard never covered anything up.' Emily countered, straining to keep a clear head. 'The Coruscant Guard holds to their code of honour and discipline. Protecting whoever killed the son of a well known and respected Senator is not something any member of the Guard would do.'

Murder in his eyes, Krisha approached Emily, ready to wring her neck for daring to call him a liar. Flicking her datapad to Senator Organa for safety, Emily stepped up to meet Krisha, catching his first punch and quickly restraining his wrists.

'Senator Organa, there will be another recording file on the screen marked Alley Truth. Kindly play it for Senator Krisha to see.' Emily requested, making absolutely sure that Krisha couldn't avoid the truth. 'I know about the hacker you employed but you forgot that the Coruscant Guard mainframe is segmented and backed up regularly.'

The angle wasn't the best but it was clear that the recording had been taken in the alley where Krisha's son had been found dead. They all saw the young boy run into the alley, looking over his shoulder before diving into the shadows in an attempt to hide. Moments later, three weequay men entered the alley, varied pistols in their hands - pirates. Moving down the alley, they were clearly hunting for the boy and when they found him, it was as good as over for the boy. Dragged out of the shadows, the boy was savagely beaten by the pirates, anything of any value torn from him. Stripped down to his underwear, the boy cowered in a shadowy corner, the pirates standing over him with their prizes. Drawing his sidearm again, the tallest of the three pirates levelled his weapon at the bowed head of the terrified boy and squeezed the trigger, ending a young life far too early. Swapping looks, the pirates took off again, leaving no obvious trace they had ever been there in the first place.

Guiding Senator Krisha to his seat and letting him down, Emily turned and accepted her datapad back, switching off the recording and bringing up the sequence of Renard and Baba again, reminding everyone what she was actually trying to achieve.

'Emily, there was no reason to replay that footage.' Satine challenged, getting to her feet.

'Chancellor, no one else has seen this footage before. He hired a hacker to get into the Coruscant Guard mainframe and remove the evidence so he could accuse whoever he chose with this terrible crime. His hacker wasn't very good, they left a very obvious trail behind and the 3rd Guard Battalion arrested them last week.' Emily replied, bringing up the reports of the discovered breach in the Coruscant Guard mainframe.

'Is this true?' Satine asked, turning her attention to Krisha again.

'Yes Chancellor, it's true.' Krisha nodded, unwilling to look at anyone as he confessed. 'I was so distraught at the loss of my son ad I felt that the only way to ever feel better was to have someone to blame. It was easy to blame his bodyguards, even after I learnt the truth.'

Stepping away from the trio, Emily tapped at a new incoming message from David, not really surprised that he'd managed to bridge her blind connection. Scanning the message, she gasped and read it again, a dark feeling in her gut as she read David's frightened words. Typing out a confirmation request and sending it to David, she turned back to the waiting officials, wondering what they would say of her strange behaviour.

'Is everything alright Emily?' Bail asked, picking up on something in her behaviour.

'If you will excuse me, there is a situation at the 1st Guard Battalion prison complex. One of my friends has been attacked, he is seriously injured.' Emily replied, walking over to retrieve her helmet. 'I pray he is strong enough to survive.'

'Before you go Emily, can anyone else sign the release forms for these two people?' Satine asked, looking up at Baba and Renard.

'The only other person with enough clearance to release those two into my custody is you, Chancellor. But are you really willing to release a couple of deadly warriors? I know you are still a pacifist.' Emily replied, snugging her helmet under her arm comfortably.

'They were wrongly accused, they deserve their freedom.' Satine nodded, coming out from behind her desk.

Smiling faintly, Emily broke the connection with the holoprojector and brought up the release forms, handing her datapad ad stylus to Satine. Signing and authenticating the release forms, Satine nodded and handed the datapad back, glancing over at where Krisha was slumped in his seat. Shoulders drooping in relief, Emily encoded the release forms and returned her datapad to her belt, making doubly sure the clip was secure.

'Thank you Chancellor.' Emily offered, bowing her head.

'I can only hope you know what you are doing Emily.' Satine replied, resting one hand on Emily's shoulder. 'Now go, you have people to help.'

'Of course. I will keep you informed Chancellor.' Emily nodded, turning sharply and striding out of the office.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Full sprint through the corridors of the 1st Guard Battalion prison complex, CMO Revs and his two junior medics Shift and Shard ploughed right through anyone that got in their way. Emily had called on them to help with an emergency situation and so here they were, responding to her call for help with a special someone.

Pushing through the doors into the hospital wing in a flurry of black, brown, grey and white, the trio slid to a stop beside the senior clone medic on duty, Stitch. Fully aware of why the three mice were there, Stitch turned and led them through the hospital wing to where their top priority patient was hidden away from the rest of the prisoners, his condition a secret to everyone else.

Slipping through the curtains, the Martian medical tem gathered around their patient, horrified by what they were seeing. Emily had informed them that he was in bad shape but nothing would have prepared them for this vision of damage. Gently easing the covers back, they examined him closely, Shard and Shift taking a back seat as Revs checked him over closely. Joining them a few minutes later, Stitch handed over the medical reports on their patient, letting Shard and Shift get their first real impression of the damage done.

'What's your assessment of his internal injuries?' Revs asked, still doing his first examination.

'sharp force injuries to liver, spleen, left kidney, several in the intestines, right lung and one nearly got his heart. There's also a dangerous knick in his aorta, the post surgery scans are clearly showing the repair work.' Shard briefed, reading over the reports Stitch provided.

'Dozens of broken bones, this guy took a real beating. Right and left tibia and fibula, left and right femurs in three places on the right and two on the left, fractured pelvis on the left side, right ankle shattered completely, left ankle pinned and plated in four locations…the list goes on, Revs.' Shift added, accepting the datapad of reports.

'Stitch, where's the nearest emergency landing pad?' Revs asked, covering their patient again and shaking his head. 'I don't know how he survived this beating but he won't make a recovery here.'

'Without the proper paperwork, I can't release him into your care, Revs.' Stitch shrugged, sticking to the rules. 'You're welcome to assist with his treatment but it has to be done here.'

Pulling off his gloves, Revs unhooked his own personal datapad and brought up a particular file before thrusting the 'pad at Stitch, salmon pink eyes cold and hard behind his wire-framed glasses. Grunting with the force of the shove, Stitch grabbed the 'pad and scanned the document, eyes widening in disbelief. Right here, the orders authenticated by the Chancellor, was the release order for prisoner 152.

'There's a small emergency landing pad running off the prison wing. Through those double doors there.' Stitch directed, pointing to the right, all the way up to the far end of the wing.

'Shift, go check it out. I'm hoping to land my fighter there, it's got everything we need for the transfer. Shard, help me prep Huguenot for transport to Martian HQ. We're going old school on him, there's no other way.' Revs barked, keeping one eye on Jean-Claude as he spoke.

'Got it, Revs.' Shift nodded, catching the digital key Stitch tossed to him and running off.

'Where do we even start with this, Revs?' Shard asked, coming up opposite his direct CO.

'That's going to be the fun part Shard. We've got to protect all his injuries, try not to dislodge that patch in his aorta and keep him alive long enough to get him hooked up to the life support systems onboard my fighter. We just have to hope this one is strong enough to hold on without the benefit of all these support systems.' Revs replied, reaching for the packs he'd lugged on their desperate run. 'I've done some hard saves in my career but this one is going to strain our resources until he's in the infirmary ICU, all hooked up.'

Running back to his bros, Shift nodded to Revs and caught the intubation kit Revs threw at him. Stepping back to make space, Revs reached up with his tail to tap his ear comm even as he got back to working on Jean-Claude.

'1927, lock onto my tracker beacon. There is a landing pad just beyond my location, get down here immediately. Ramp to the open doors, as close as possible. Prepare for a Code Red patient, I want all life support systems open and ready for use when you touch down.' Revs ordered, slipping past Shard as Shift focused on his first task.

'Stitch, where are those extra blankets!' Shard called, working on bracing and protecting every broken bone as they were listed.

'Right here Shard.' Stitch replied, racing back with six extra blankets and a few towels.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Settling into their new cell, the expanded group tried not to think about the horror scene they'd witnessed in the exercise room. Baba had tried so hard to deal with the troublemakers, fighting with all of his strength before he was overpowered and beaten to within an inch of his life. He was easily the strongest of the six friends and it still hadn't been enough to keep him safe.

Huddled in the farthest corner of their new, larger cell, David whimpered in fear, absolutely terrified of what would happen to him now. He knew he was a wanted man, a lot of people were very interested in getting their hands on him. Baba had always protected him, making sure everyone knew that David was off limits. Without him, David had no idea how he would survive.

Trying to seem like they were relaxed and calm, the four others in the cell spread out and got comfortable, throwing on bored looks and putting out an aura that they didn't really care about this change. But inside, they were freaking out, rattled to the core by what they'd witnessed. Now it was on their shoulders to protect David from those that wanted him, they had to stand united and keep him from harm to give Emily enough time to work her magic and get them all released from this hellhole.

Looking up when their cell shield dropped, the quartet moved forward to block access to David, everyone ready for a fight as a single clone stepped off the transport and entered the cell properly. Head held high, strangely marked black cloak sweeping the floor and a certain mysterious power about them, the clone approached the group and reached up to remove his helmet. Only, it wasn't a him - it was Emily in full armour.

Brushing through the group, Emily came up beside David and sunk to her knees, putting her helmet down beside them as she ran one hand lightly through David's hair.

'I got your message David. It's going to be okay, no one will ever get to you.' she uttered, gently drawing David into her arms. 'I'll protect you, it's okay now.'

'I'll never be safe, not in here.' David choked, sagging into Emily's strength.

'You are safe now. This is one of the secure lockup cells. The only people that will be able to get near you now are your friends. You will have a private rotation, just the five of you.' Emily promised, holding him all the tighter. 'You'll be out soon, just hang in there a little bit longer.'

'I…I'll try Emily. I know there are a lot of people out to get me, I'm valuable for my hacking skills.' David nodded, lifting his head from her shoulder slowly.

'I know David, I know. But I swear to you, the only people that will ever make use of you as a hacker will be the Coruscant Guard. No one else will have you, we'll take care of you.' Emily grinned, toying with his hair gently.

'Whatever I can do to help.' David agreed, putting his life in Emily's hands. 'I'm so scared Emily, this is far beyond what I'm used to.'

'Whenever you need me, whatever the time of day or night, just send me a message. I'll be there to answer you, regardless of what I'm doing.' Emily coaxed, drawing away slowly.

'Okay Emily, I'll remember that.' David smiled faintly then covered a yawn in his shoulder.

'Try and get some rest David, you're safe now.' Emily soothed, guiding him up and towards the nearest bunk.

Easing him down and making him comfortable, Emily stayed with David until he was fast asleep, his precious mini-pad clutched to his chest with both hands. Sighing softly, Emily adjusted one of his hands a little, completing a flesh and bone cage to keep the mini-pad safe in his possession.

Only when she was happy he was lost in peaceful dreams did she stand, collect her helmet and approach the rest of the group in the larger cell. They came to her willingly, desperate for news on Baba and on their freedom.

'I don't have the latest news on Baba, I handed his case to the best medical team on Coruscant. If anyone can put him back together after that beating, they can. The clones know a lot about battlefield medicine, Revs has been around longer and has done a lot more in the medical field. He'll take the very best care of Baba and do his best to make sure the big Frenchman pulls through with minimal trouble.' Emily nodded, watching the men sag in relief, just glad to know Baba was in the best hands.

'What about the release efforts?' Buck asked, glancing over to check David was still sleeping.

'Seven down, one to go. Senator Organa gave his permission for the old Terra Stalkers to be released, once I gave him my word there would be no more trouble from them. Chancellor Kryze authorised the released of Baba and Renard, once she learnt the truth about their charges. I doubt Senator Krisha of Pantora will be around much longer, the Chancellor will punish him for his misdeeds as well.' Emily grinned, tapping her command datapad lightly.

'So, when do we get out of this dump?' Aloysius asked, eager to feel the sun on his face again.

'Baba is leaving in the next hour, if he hasn't gone already. Renard and Mother will be released soon, I'll go and get them personally. But I need you four to be patient, your turn will come. I can't leave David here on his own, he wouldn't survive. Even on special rotation, kept away from everyone else, he needs someone to keep an eye on him and help him through the coming days. I promise it won't be too long, I just have to convince one last group that David wasn't out to cause trouble. He was just doing what came naturally to him, trying to survive in a galaxy he doesn't understand. I can do it, the group I have to convince will listen to me and accept my judgement of the situation.' Emily explained, hoping they understood her reasoning. David was a valuable man, she couldn't leave him unprotected.

'All those promises and you're just gonna leave us in here? I believed in you Emily.' Rufus uttered, stepping away quickly.

'It's not like that Rufus. I will get you out, I could take you away from here right now but David won't survive in here alone. He knows his skills make him valuable and he's fully aware that a lot of very nasty people want him because he is so good at what he does. He's scared out of his mind, he needs someone here to keep him together until I can get his release secured.' Emily sighed, choosing not to try and bring Rufus back just yet, she had to focus on the main situation.

'Do we all have to stay? Let's be honest, David's closer to Buck and I, he knows us. It's not hard to tell who is handling this mess better.' Shane shrugged, whipping around when David whimpered in his sleep.

Chewing her bottom lip as she thought it over, Emily watched the way Shane tended to David, calming him back into a deeper sleep. Looking back over his shoulder, Buck walked over to slide down the wall beside David's bunk, reaching out to rest one hand on David's bent arm, callused fingers resting near David's bruised cheek. Shane stayed perched on the edge of the bunk, lightly stroking his other arm to comfort the frightened computer genius.

'The early out won't be pleasant guys, you'll be trading these durasteel walls for ankle monitors specifically built to tether you to a specific point. Going beyond the allowed distance will result in a pretty serious jolt from the shock generators installed in the ankle monitors. And while I'm still trying to get David out and organise everything else, I won't be the anchor point. Most likely, you'll get a ten meter tether to Baba's ICU bed, the ICU ward will reduce that to a pitiful five meters range.' Emily warned, looking up at Rufus to see how he went with that information.

'I should have realised you couldn't be trusted Emily. You promised that I'd get my wings back, you swore I'd be free.' Rufus growled, deeply hurt by what he was as a betrayal.

'And you will. You will be allowed to earn distance as you continue to prove you can be trusted. I don't like the idea of digitally tethering you to my ankle but that's the price I have to pay to get you out of this place. Earn the trust of those around you, prove you are a respectable member of the community and you will get the freedom to fly. At first you will be restricted severely, allowed no more than a few meters above the HQ and kept on a tight leash around the building but with time and perseverance, you will be allowed to go wherever you want on Coruscant and eventually, the galaxy will be yours again.' Emily coaxed, reaching under her cloak for the bag she'd gotten that morning.

Guiding Rufus away from the main group, Aloysius looked up at him and smiled faintly. He knew that Rufus wasn't handling this, they all knew first-hand just how badly Rufus was handling this but his loyalty was too strong for him to just walk away without being told to do so. Rufus would stay to the end, losing what humanity was left in his strong body until he was as cold and dark as Aloysius was inside.

'Rufus, it's time for you to leave this place. Take your early out and get the hell away from here. You don't belong in prison, you're far too good to ever be behind bars.' Aloysius sighed, doubting his ability to get Rufus to leave but he had to try.

'No, I won't leave you behind. I can't do this without you, my freedom is worth nothing if you're not there by my side.' Rufus replied, leaning back against the wall and sliding down a bit so they were eye to eye.

'I know but the longer you stay, the less of the real you is left. You're changing and it's not for the better. Over the last seven weeks, you've gone from a calm, relaxed and happy guy to a rough, wild and dangerous guy. I'm not sure I even know you anymore, not like I used to. I want my Rufus back, but I'm not sure he's still alive, hidden behind the warrior you've become.' Aloysius coaxed, reaching out to lightly touch one shaggy cheek.

'I'm still me, this imprisonment hasn't changed who I am inside. Don't send me away, I can do better. Please, I'll do whatever I have to just to stay here with you.' Rufus was almost begging, so desperate to stay where he felt safe.

Leaving Buck to keep watch over David, Shane slipped past Emily and came up beside Aloysius, resting one hand on his shoulder lightly.

'Rufus, we all know that Mother can't stay out of trouble. We also know that you're one of the best when it comes to staying level headed and in total control. Now, if Mother gets into trouble again, chances are pretty high that Emily won't be able to get her out of prison again.' Shane shrugged, surprising Emily with his acting talent. He was playing nonchalant, acting like he didn't care which way Rufus went in response to his proposal.

'You'd be right on that one Shane. I doubt I can convince Senator Organa to give anyone a third chance.' Emily nodded, wondering where Shane would take this one.

'I thought as much.' Shane sighed, turning his full attention back to Rufus. 'It's also no secret that Aloysius has a bit of a temper, Buck has guilt problems and I can't sit still half the time.'

'Yeah, I can't deny that. We've all got our problems.' Rufus nodded, listening to what Shane was saying. 'I'm the wallflower, I know.'

'You were the wallflower, your confidence has gone way up since we were first dragged into this galaxy.' Aloysius corrected, a clear note of warning in his tone.

'Anyway, back on track here.' Shane cut in, poking Rufus in the chest. 'There's no one I'd trust more than you, Rufus, to watch out for Mother and keep her from the trouble she could get into on her own. You're the only one that can temper her behaviour.'

Dropping his gaze, Rufus thought it over carefully. He knew Shane was right, he was the only one that could keep Mother under control when she decided to really go bad-shit crazy. He was strong enough to take her to the ground and hold her flat until she calmed enough to think logically. No one else in the team had a hope.

'But with Baba gone, we're limited on strength. If I leave, you've lost the two hardest hitters in the group. Where's that leave those left behind?' he asked, looking at Aloysius for his answer.

'What happens if Mother goes bat-chit crazy with no one to cool her temper? Aloysius countered, turning the issue back to the most important matter.

'Best to keep a low profile this close to release. The less of a threat we seem, the easier it'll be to survive. With the hard hitters gone, the guards should lighten up a little more.' Shane added, displaying confidence he didn't feel.

'Give us a minute, would ya Shane?' Rufus nodded, slipping down the wall a little lower.

'Sure, take all the time you need.' Shane grinned, wandering back to check on David.

'Here, make your own privacy.' Emily offered, releasing her long black cloak and offering it out to the pair. 'Even here in special rotation, there ain't much to be had.'

'Thanks Emily.' Aloysius replied, accepting the cloak and moving closer to Rufus.

Looking at the throat clasp and hood for a moment, Rufus spread his knees and welcomed Aloysius closer, reaching out to take the upper portion of the cloak. Reaching up, he secured the cloak behind his shoulders, encasing them in the darkness as Aloysius let the other end fall from his hands. Closer still and Aloysius relaxed against Rufus' chest, hands resting against his lower back. Sighing softly, Rufus cradled Aloysius close, struggling to say goodbye, even thought they both knew it was only temporary.

'I'll miss you, so much.' Aloysius uttered, resting his head on Rufus' shoulder.

'I'll miss you too, every minute we're apart.' Rufus nodded, carding his fingers through Aloysius' hair. 'I still don't want to go but I know I have to.'

'It's only for a little while. Wherever you go, make a home for both of us.' Aloysius insisted, pressing as close as he could without dropping them both to the floor.

'Even if my next place to sleep is a corner of Emily's apartment.' Rufus promised, nudging Aloysius back just enough to look him in the eye. 'I will always have that place open for you to join me, no matter what.'

'Don't make this any harder than it has to be, Rufus.' Aloysius choked, hanging his head as he tried to regain his control. 'I…fuck, I didn't think it would be this hard.'

'No, don't you fall apart now Aloysius. The others are gonna need you.' Rufus whispered, swallowing his pain. 'It's gonna be okay, we'll get through this.'

'And here I thought I'd be the one offering a shoulder.' Aloysius sighed, lifting his gaze slowly. 'I don't want to let you go but it's for the best.'

Watching the lumps under her cloak, Emily smiled and relaxed against the wall, waiting for them to say their heartfelt goodbyes. The small parts that could be seen under the hemline told the story, exactly as she'd always had a gut feeling about those two. They were more than just friends, they tried to hide it but she knew.

Another sharp movement from the pair underneath made the cloak slip, the soft black fur pooling on the floor beside them. There was the proof Emily had been looking for, the unmistakeable sign of true love. Pressed so tightly together, not a crack of light to be seen separating them, they were lost in their own little world, reaffirming their story with hands and mouths. Calming the guards with one clear gesture, Emily settled back to wait, willing to throw her timetable to give these two a chance to say a proper goodbye.

"Emily, you still in the 1st prison?" Revs' voice on her ear comm startled her from her thoughts. Grabbing her helmet, she pulled it on she her conversation couldn't be overheard.

'Yeah, I'm still here Revs. Sitrep?' she confirmed, wondering why he was calling now.

"We've managed to get Jean-Claude onto my fighter, he's a right mess. I honestly don't know how he survived this attack." Revs sighed, exhausted but he couldn't rest yet.

'I know, he's a fighter though. Do the best you can Revs, this group of friends is strong but he is such an integral part of it.' Emily nodded, wondering if she'd asked too much of Revs this time.

"Chances are good he'll pull through but I can't be sure how long that will take. I'll keep you informed Emily." Revs promised, his mic picking up the sounds of his fighter pushing to the limit to make it back to HQ safely.

'That's all I can ask for Revs. I'll probably be at Martian HQ in about four hours, I'm not expecting much but see how you go.' Emily warned, no pressure, just letting him know.

"Copy that, I'll have Shift ready to brief you when you arrive." Revs confirmed, the channel going silent again.

Pulling her helmet off again, Emily smiled as she pushed off the wall and reached out to take her cloak from Rufus' hand, swirling it around her shoulders and securing the clips again. A quick shake of her shoulders and it settled into position properly, brushing the floor softly.

'Ready to go Rufus?' she asked, tucking her helmet again.

'No, but let's do it anyway.' Rufus shrugged, glancing over at Aloysius again as Emily reached for a set of binders secured to her belt.

'You'll be reunited in a week, maybe two.' Emily promised, opening the binders and approaching Rufus but the final choice was his. 'Whatever you choose Rufus, I'll support you.'

'I'm ready to leave, Emily.' Rufus nodded, his soulful eyes never leaving Aloysius as Emily secured his wrists and turned to stand beside him.

'You take care of him, Emily.' Aloysius insisted, trying not to show how much this hurt.

'With my life Aloysius.' Emily replied, allowing one last goodbye kiss before guiding Rufus towards the shield.


	7. Chapter 7

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Freedom

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Gratefully accepting the change of clothes Emily had provided for him, Rufus shed his prison jumpsuit and changed into the dark grey jeans and blue tee-shirt. The jeans were a little baggy and the shirt hung off him but he was just grateful to be free. Stepping out of the change room, he found socks and boots waiting for him, along with a white jacket with blue stripes along the sleeves. Sitting and tugging on his socks, he was just reaching for his boots when Emily took a knee beside him and reached under her cloak.

Leaning back against the table, Rufus watched as Emily pulled out a small black belt of some kind, a grey box attached to the belt. Rolling his sock down a little, Emily wrapped the belt around his leg and pulled it firm, nestling the box against his skin. Looking up, Emily smiled faintly and reached under her cloak again. This time she pulled out some kind of tool that Rufus didn't recognise. Fitting the tool over the band around his leg, she squeezed and a sharp hiss-pop rang out from the area. Moving the tool, she did it again, another hiss-pop sounding before the tool was tucked away again.

Bringing his right foot up, Rufus examined the thing now attached to his leg. It was smaller than other ankle monitors he'd seen, easily disguisable under ordinary clothes. Just barely visible in the gap between the box and his skin, two small metal prongs glinted in the light Rufus angled over his shoulder, prongs reminiscent of a pocket Tazer. So Emily wasn't kidding about the electro-shock part of these things.

Watching Emily stand and move away again, Rufus shrugged and pulled his boots on, noting with some relief that Emily had left enough play in the strap that he could shove the monitor above the level of his boot. Lifting the monitor made the prongs dig in a bit but once he had his boot done up comfortably, he nudged the box down a little bit, fitting it over his boot without blocking the prongs on the inside.

Getting up, he grabbed the waiting jacket and pulled it on, astounded by the fit. It was absolutely perfect, fitting to his muscles and still leaving plenty of space for movement.

'Alright, at the moment your monitor is set on a ten meter range. At 5 and 7 meters, you will get a warning shock. The warning shocks are calibrated to increase in power the further you stray. The 10 meter shock is at a level that will incapacitate you.' Emily warned, walking to the edge of the room. 'This room is 8 meters long, take a walk and learn your warnings.'

Swallowing his nerves, Rufus moved into the safe range near Emily then stepped backwards, knowing his stride would eat up such a limited distance very quickly. Sure enough, three steps and he got the first warning, the jolt sizzling up his leg and very nearly dropping him to the ground. Shaking his head to clear the fuzziness, he backed away again, anticipating another minor jolt any moment. The second jolt came but it made the first one seem pitiful. With a sharp crack, his right leg went completely numb, dropping him to the deck. Training kicking in, Rufus caught his fall and looked up at Emily, stunned by the power of the little box on his leg.

Nodding slowly, Emily approached and helped him to his feet, supporting him as they returned to the table where he'd been sitting.

'I trust the message is clear.' she nodded, taking a knee and rubbing the sensation back into his leg briskly.

'Very clear Emily. I'm really going to have to be on my toes, ten meters isn't much for a guy of my height.' Rufus replied, determined to never feel that second warning jolt again.

'Behave and ten meters will soon be your first warning jolt.' Emily promised, dropping her hands and standing. 'Ready to go?'

'Yeah, I'm ready.' Rufus grinned, easing to his feet and stretching.

Signing the last few documents relating to his release, Emily donned her helmet and strode from the processing area, Rufus pausing only long enough to sign for his property and grab the crate before following her, making sure he stayed within the safe zone. Calm as could be, Emily made her way across the landing pad to her personally assigned LAAT/i. It might have been a little extreme to have such a transport at her beck and call all the time but she had so much to do in a day that standard transportation just wouldn't do the job.

Stepping onboard, she reached up for a handhold and waited for Rufus to get organised. Setting his crate of possessions down on the deck, he held it between his feet and reached for a handhold, looking back towards the prison as the transport lifted off.

"Where to, Captain?" a voice asked, echoing in the small space.

'6th prison, I've got another pickup. Then to Martian HQ.' Emily replied, totally calm as the gunship slipped through the traffic.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Stepping off the transport, the three newly released prisoners looked up at the rising angles and curves of the building Emily referred to as Martian HQ. Clutching their possession crates to their chests, the group followed Emily into the building, looking around in wonder at the unusual art displayed everywhere. Of course, they'd heard of the Martian race, their deeds were legendary but to actually be in their domain was an incredible thrill.

Leading them through the foyer, past four mice standing to attention, Emily approached a row of shelves and removed her helmet, placing it up on one of the shelves where it would be secure. Almost immediately, another mouse entered the foyer, his sheer size startling the trio. He was massive, broad shouldered and super tall, lush brown fur covering every inch and darker brown hair spilling down his back and two small locks drawn forward over his ears. Dressed in khaki jeans, a matching vest and wristbands and big black boots on his feet, here was a creature that inspired respect and fear. He was dripping with precious metal too, from the golden adornments on his boots to the gold ring on his right hand and the eight earrings he sported, three in the left and five in the right, he screamed power and demanded the full attention of those around him.

Turning to the large Martian, Emily smiled and ducked her head in respect before approaching, the trio moving up with her.

'So, these are the prisoners you wanted us to care for?' he asked, deep red eyes falling on the trio.

'Only temporarily Blade. There are still four more to be released but one is proving difficult. The Coruscant Guard is reluctant to let him go; they see him as a threat.' Emily replied, adjusting her ponytail quickly.

'You're lucky we built this place to suit our growing numbers. The next generation is growing every month and those that are old enough are starting to find love.' Blade grinned, stepping closer to the trio. 'Barracks or single rooms?'

'Single rooms would be better; they've had no privacy for months, years in Renard's case.' Emily suggested, stepping to the side and putting in enough distance to pin the trio in place.

Reacting on instinct as the bigger mouse came closer, Rufus set his possessions down and ushered the women behind him, stepping up to go toe-to-toe with Blade. Stopping just shy of Rufus' reach, Blade smiled then laughed a deep, rich sound that eased their concerns.

'You always bring great characters to our home Emily. This one I like, he's not afraid to face an obviously bigger and stronger opponent. He knows I could squash him like a bug but he will not back down.' Blade nodded, withdrawing a step.

'You might have him on strength and size Blade but Rufus is no pushover. I promise you, if you tried something with Rufus, Mother would back him up. Renard, I am not so sure about. Her file is clean of all trouble.' Emily shrugged, clearly indicating each of her friends as she spoke.

'I'm not much use in a fight anymore Emily. This prosthetic just won't stand up to any real abuse.' Mother sighed, looking down quickly.

'I have not forgotten my promise Mother. As soon as you're settled in and re-anchored to the base, I'll speak to Revs about your new leg. You'll have to be patient, Revs is a busy mouse.' Emily promised, catching a look from Blade that told her just how busy Revs was.

'I talked it over with my section heads and we're satisfied that we can simply anchor them to this building. They will be free to roam wherever they like within the main walls but if they pass the distance warnings as you have set them, the ankle monitors go off.' Blade offered, reaching up to brush the square medallion around his neck. 'They will come to no harm here Emily.'

Nodding slowly, Emily reached under her cloak and pulled out a small control unit. From the left pocket of his vest, Blade pulled a different style of control unit; it looked like it belonged to a bigger system. Pointing her control unit first at Rufus' ankle monitor, Emily nodded and turned her control unit to the device in Blade's hand. Rufus felt a little crackle against his skin, nothing to really worry about. Repeating the process twice more, Emily aimed the control unit in her right hand at her left wrist, checking the screen closely.

'Three into your custody, Blade.' she noted, satisfied with the readings.

'Acknowledged, three into the custody of SAU 14.' Blade nodded, tucking his control device away safely.

'Take care of them Blade. I'll be back to collect them when I have secured the release of Mr Fairfax.' Emily instructed, tucking away her control unit and turning sharply on her heel. Collecting her helmet, she looked back at the trio one more time before leaving the building.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Led through the building by a different mouse, Mother couldn't believe the turn her life had taken now. Here she was, walking along side a Martian, his long, dark khaki fur neatly groomed and black hair pulled into a low ponytail. He was taller than she was, those few inches packing in a lot more muscle than should have been possible. But the strangest thing of all was the shining silver plate covering the left side of his face. Curved over his muzzle, reaching right out to partially surround his right eye and dipping low on his cheek, it was either a war trophy or some kind of protective gear. He wasn't much of a talker either; all she'd managed to get out of him was a name and position - Plate of the security section.

Stopping outside another identical door in the corridor, Plate handed her a key card and motioned to the door lock. Juggling her possessions crate, Mother swiped the key card and entered, jaw dropping at what she was seeing. She'd expected a simple room, little more than her cell had been but instead, she had a full on apartment to call home for now. The main door led into the living room, a comfortable looking couch set up facing a holodisplay so she could catch up on the latest news. Off to the left, she could see a small kitchen, just about the right size for one or two people to cook in and keep clean.

Stepping through the open door on her right, Mother entered the bedroom and set her crate down on the bed, fingers trailing over the beautiful quilt. It had a certain handmade quality about it and it was just so soft.

'I'll have to mention to Christine that you liked her quilt.' Plate remarked, leaning in the doorway causally.

'You speak at last.' Mother grinned, turning to face him.

'I'm naturally cautious about newbies. I don't know you from the citizens of Coruscant and now you're living with us. Only to be expected that you'll get a lot of the silent treatment until the bros get used to you.' Plate shrugged, pointing towards the wardrobe. 'Emily's been busy since she got onto this plan. The stuff in there should fit.'

'I get the feeling you're not thrilled about this situation.' Mother noted, wandering over to check the wardrobe contents. 'And I don't think it's just 'cause I'm a newbie.'

'I had plans for today, Blade decided I'd be useful keeping you in line so I got called back to work. I'd much rather be spending today with my special someone than guarding you but duty comes first.' Plate nodded, lightly touching the grey tattoo of a wolf head on his right shoulder.

'Yeah, I'd rather be with my special someone too…if I just knew where he is now. We were separated years ago, I saw him for a few minutes before he was dragged away by a couple of Twi'leks. There's been no trace of him since, Emily's been searching since she realised I was here but nothing.' Mother sighed, turning away from the clothes hung neatly for her.

'Damn, I'm sorry. I've got nothing to complain about, I know where my love is. I don't know how I'd go if he just disappeared.' Plate offered, relaxing his tight stance.

'You're…hey, that's cool. I got nothing against guys who like dick, some of my best friends are gay.' Mother grinned, walking over to look up at Plate. 'I think we got off on the wrong foot.'

'Yeah, we're both a little tense right now.' Plate agreed, pushing off the wall. 'Come and sit down, we'll try this again.'

Settling on the cosy couch and leaning down to remove her boots, Mother stretched contentedly and relaxed into the soft cushions, enjoying the comfort after just two months of hard tine. It felt like so much longer but Emily had gone back through her calendar, proving that it was only two months, one week and five days. Glancing at Plate for a moment, Mother worked the left leg of her easy fit jeans up and reached underneath to release the attachment points for her temporary prosthetic. She was given permission to keep this prison issue one until Revs fitted her with her new, Martian custom one.

Setting the very basic prosthetic aside, Mother gently rubbed at her stump, grateful to be rid of it for the moment. Shifting on the couch, she leant back and sighed softly, finally comfortable.

'Now, where were we?' Mother grinned, returning her attention to Plate.

'You were surprising me with your prosthetic. I couldn't tell you had it until you did that.' Plate remarked, turning to face Mother properly.

'I've had this injury for years. It happened back on Earth, down in Antarctica. We were busy trying to survive a French attack and then the British tried to kill us. Right in the middle of all the chaos, a fucking Killer Whale attacked me, took my leg but with some help from my friends, I was able to survive carnage in the ice.' Mother explained, still wary of telling the full story but Plate seemed to understand her reluctance.

'Yeah, I know what it's like to be maimed on the field of battle.' Plate nodded, brushing his faceplate lightly. 'But really, you got away easily.'

'What makes you say that?' Mother asked, scanning Plate quickly for serious scars.

'This isn't just for show.' Plate shrugged, tapping his knuckles against his faceplate. 'I wear this to protect a combination of blaster and crash scars.'

Popping the guard loose with practised ease, Plate lowered it and turned to show his heavily scarred face towards Mother. It wasn't quite as messy as the last time he'd bared his face to someone outside the unit but it certainly still an ugly mark to bear.

'Holy fuck, you really have been in the wars.' Mother gaped, shuffling closer and leaning in to peer at the damage.

'Comes with being Martian. Age 15 and we're eligible to being training, 16 and we're on the front lines. We put Emily through the training program a Martian teen goes through to become a soldier…she didn't pass. Give you an idea of how tough it is?' Plate sighed, refitting his faceplate and checking his scars were covered.

'Fuck me…she's a tough bitch, it must have been a hard training period if she failed.' Mother uttered, stunned by that one simple comment. If Emily didn't pass their training, it was a truly devastating training program.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Her few meagre possessions unpacked in her apartment, Renard asked her guard, Scout Section Head Fog, to show her the way for the medical wing. When he questioned her health, she just smiled and said that a dear friend was there. Nodding slowly, Fog waited for her to change into something more comfortable before leading her through the base again.

He was a handsome young fellow, in his own unique way. Two-toned grey, no obvious mane like so many of the other mice, black jeans, brown vest and matching brown boots, he stood out in the crowd. But what really caught the eye was his bright red and yellow belt with a dark green leather-covered buckle. The delicate little gold crosses in his ears, two in each, caught the light beautifully, drawing attention to a symbol of lost loved ones.

Relishing her first taste of freedom in years, Renard was happy to walk with a male, his strength and stature a semi-familiar comfort after so long surrounded by women and clones that just weren't interested in making friends.

'You look beautiful in that dress, Veronique.' Fog offered, admiring the way the simple floral dress looked on her slim frame.

'Thank you Fog.' she replied, blushing faintly as she looked up at him. 'It's been so long since anyone called me by name, I'd almost forgotten what it sounded like.'

'Would you prefer I stuck with Renard?' Fog asked, a true gentleman compared to some of his fellow mice. 'Or Ms Champion?'

'No, Veronique will be fine. Ms Champion is far too formal.' Renard smiled, offering her hand slowly. 'I've missed just being an ordinary woman so very much.'

'I can't promise more than an attentive companion for a few hours.' Fog nodded, gently taking her hand and guiding her close. 'I'm already spoken for but he won't mind.'

'I too have a special someone but he is still imprisoned. Soon we will have our second chance. For now, the company of a respectable ma-mouse is very nice.' Renard replied, hoping he didn't notice her little slip-up.

'Man or mouse, we get called both. Veronique, you'll soon learn that we're a tough bunch to offend. Whatever you choose to call us will be fine.' Fog promised, drawing her closer and showing just how much of a gentleman he could be.

Entering the infirmary, Fog calmly led Veronique over to where a slightly shorted black mouse was slumped in a chair, head in his hands. This mouse was different again, his inky fur perfectly complimented by his dark blue jeans, lighter blue vest and grey biker boots. Looking up when they approached, this darker mouse showed another big difference to the other mice she'd seen. He was wearing wire-framed glasses.

'CMO Revs, this is Veronique Champion. She's here to see your latest crit patient.' Fog grinned, able to pick up on just how exhausted Revs was.

'Of course, Emily told me you'd be coming down.' Revs nodded, getting to his feet and almost falling to the floor.

'Whoa, easy now Revs.' Fog warned, lunging to catch the exhausted medic. 'Here, you sit back down and rest. I'll get Shard to guide.'

'No, I'm good. I let Shard and Shift have some time off. Jean-Claude's case left us all a little shaken.' Revs replied, getting up again and finding his balance. 'In all my time as CMO for SAU 14, I have never seen someone take a beating like that and survive.'

'May I see him?' Veronique asked, reaching out to lightly take one black hand. 'He is a dear friend of mine, I have been so worried for him.'

'Are you sure? He is in pretty bad shape still.' Revs warned, lightly squeezing her fingers.

'I am certain, I have not seen him since we were arrested.' Veronique nodded, deeply worried for Jean-Claude. 'Please good sir, let me see him if only for a few minutes.'

'Alright, I'll take you to him. You won't be able to get too close, he's still touch and go but you'll be able to talk to him.' Revs agreed, leading Veronique through the sunlit medical ward.

Passing through the doors clearly marked ICU, Veronique expected to see Baba beaten and bloodied but she was unprepared for the horror scene Revs showed her. Of all the missions they'd done together, dozens of close calls escaped as a partnership, Veronique had never seen Jean-Claude look so weak and helpless. He wasn't a wild man anymore either, his usually unkempt hair and beard had been shaved right back, revealing more fresh surgical wounds. Two could be seen curving across his head, one from his left temple around towards the back and the other high on the right side, starting just above his eyebrow and sweeping away to the rear. There was a third one barely visible on the right side of his jaw, slipping under his jaw line and disappearing from her sight.

Resting her hands against the cold glass, Veronique could only watch as Revs accessed the room to check on Baba's condition up close. Every time Revs refolded the blanket to reveal more of the damage done. Heavy white dressings wrapped just about every inch of his solid body, a few hints of tanned skin poking through here and there reminding Veronique of the man she knew as a strong, deadly warrior.

'Ah, Jean-Claude, why must these things always happen to you? You might have a tough callsign but no one can live forever. You have to be more careful, we can't lose you.' she uttered, shaking her head slowly.

'So you're not the only one who has a soft spot for this survivor?' Revs asked, looking up from his careful checks. 'I have to admit, I've got a new appreciation for just how tough humans can be. I doubt that the big man of 14, Security Chief Falcon, could survive an equivalent beating.'

'Jean-Claude has a habit of dodging death. I am sure you noticed a round, bulging scar in the middle of his chest. He was shot and somehow survived several days in a minisub, his life in the hands of a Marine. She used a ration pack and her canteen to keep him alive.' Veronique nodded, wondering if Revs would let her stay and sit vigil for Jean-Claude.

'Yeah, we noticed that scar. It's going to be bigger the next time you see it. One of his attackers tried to stab him in that same spot. The makeshift shiv snapped in his chest, we had to go fishing for the bit left behind.' Revs sighed, doing what he could to make Baba comfortable.

'Mother will be disappointed, she was the one who kept him alive after he was shot. That was always her scar, Jean-Claude remember her with a certain fondness every time he touched that scar.' Veronique smiled, remembering how proud he was of that particular injury.

'Mother Newman? Huh, I never expected that of her. Emily gave me a copy of her files, the old stuff from Earth and the Intel that had been unearthed since realising she was located in this galaxy.' Revs chuckled, shaking his head slowly. 'She gave me the files on all of you, just so I could have a baseline if this sort of thing ever happened. The sheer amount of damage recorded in those files is staggering but not surprising in some cases.'

One last check and Revs left the room, pulling the door with his tail as he yanked his gloves off and tossed them in the waste bin beside the door. Shaking out his fur, Revs turned to Veronique again, not really surprised that she hadn't been able to tear her dark eyes away from the big man taken so low. It was always a shock to see a friend in the ICU, no matter how many times it had happened before.

'Come and have a cup of kaf, I'll explain his condition.' Revs offered, extending one hand to her.

'I don't want to leave him, you understand don't you Revs.' Veronique sighed, hanging her head for a moment.

'Yeah, I understand but you can't do him any good if you're run down.' Revs nodded, trying not to think about other people he'd seen in a similar situation. 'If he so much as breathes out of rhythm, I'll know about it.'

'Well, alright then.' Veronique agreed, allowing Revs to guide her away from Jean-Claude.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Shown to the mess hall for the evening meal, the three friends quickly grabbed meals that tempted them and settled together, everything so new after time spent behind bars. If it wasn't the huge variety displayed among the mice, it was the complexity of their technology or the way they seemed to roll with whatever was thrown their way. But right now, they were enjoying the wide range of food on offer. Rufus had steak, chips and salad. Mother found a rather tasty looking chicken burger with onion rings and a side salad. Renard went for one of the stews, something remarkably similar to beef bourguignon.

Mother was trying her hardest not to stare at Rufus as she ate, he'd gone through quite a transformation since their arrival at the base. He looked funny without his big bushy beard and his wild knot of a ponytail was gone too, replaced with a close shave.

'Yeah, I know Mother. Couldn't go to the prison barer, damned weequay tried to shove a pair of scissors in my spine. I'd be dead if Shane hadn't wrestled that weequay off my back. This is the price I pay, it'll grow back eventually.' Rufus shrugged, scratching at his new haircut. 'Not soon enough for my liking.'

'I think you look very distinguished without all that scruff.' Renard offered, watching the way Rufus went bright red.

'Thank you but I've got every intention of growing that beard back. My mother used to swear that she gave birth to a beard and I grew on the end of it.' Rufus chuckled, rubbing one bare cheek.

'Aloysius won't recognise you without it.' Mother added, reaching for her soda.

'All the more reason to grow it back. He likes it, always has.' Rufus sighed, hanging his head. 'I can't believe I just left him like that.'

'Hey now, we'll all be reunited soon. I'm looking forward to seeing Baba again.' Mother tried, nudging Rufus quickly.

They both looked at Veronique when she dropped her fork, staring wide-eyed at Mother. Collecting her thoughts, Veronique picked up her fork and set it in her bowl again before lightly wiping her mouth.

'You weren't told Mother? Jean-Claude is here, hidden away in the ICU ward of the medical wing. He was severely beaten, CMO Revs is amazed he survived the attack.' she explained, shocked that no one had told Mother about the attack.

'I saw it, up close and personal. He gave it his best shot but he just wasn't strong enough to take down the gang that came at him. He was trying to protect Fairfax, just like he'd been doing since David found him in there.' Rufus added, reaching out to draw Mother in against his side.

'Why didn't anyone tell me?' Mother asked, numb with shock as her hoped for fun reunion dissolved into nothing.

'I guess they thought we could lessen the blow. Come on, finish your meal and we'll go see him together.' Rufus coaxed, tapping her plate with his fork.

'I'm not hungry anymore.' Mother uttered, nudging the plate away.

'Mother, the only reason I agreed to leave was because Shane told me to keep an eye on you. I intend to do that and make sure you're in good health when he next sees you. So, either you eat willingly or I will pin you down and make you eat.' Rufus warned, deadly serious and Mother knew it. 'Baba will be fine, he's one tough bastard.'

Fully aware of what Rufus could do, Mother growled and pushed away from him, going back to her meal but it was still painfully obvious that she would rather be with Baba, tending to his injuries until he recovered from the latest attack on his person. They all looked up when Revs joined them, his fur shining with moisture.

'You're looking a little more awake now, CMO Revs.' Veronique commented, going back to her meal contentedly.

'Just Revs, will be fine Veronique.' Revs replied, reaching for the salt. 'As for earlier, nothing that a nice long soak couldn't fix. I just hope I dried off enough to not offend noses not used to living with damp fur.'

'I don't smell anything apart from food.' Rufus shrugged, subtly sniffing for anything that didn't smell so good.

'My fur is easy to dry, it's only very short really. Some of the bros have six inches of fur, mine barely makes an inch where it's longest.' Revs explained, fingers stroking through the fur on his chest. 'You'll be glad to hear that Jean-Claude has stabilised, we've been on edge waiting for the aortic patch to settle.'

'His heart? Oh, this just keeps fucking getting better.' Mother groused, glaring at Revs.

'Don't be mad at me, Mother. Emily suggested that we keep Baba's location a secret until his condition stabilised. I do not know how Veronique knew he was in our care but I could not refuse her. I don't blame you for being more than a little pissed, Mother, I didn't like the idea but we are all bound by orders.' Revs shrugged, tucking into the pasta bake he'd chosen. 'But now that he's at least stable, we can focus on another situation.'

Mother was just about to give Revs another piece of her mind when he slid a datapad across the table, putting just enough power behind it so it stopped right where she couldn't ignore the picture on the screen. There, in full colour with her dreamed design front and centre, was the new prosthetic she'd imagined when Emily showed her the blank canvas waiting to be personalised. Whoever had been responsible for this had done a wonderful job, taking her rough sketch and turning it into something to be proud of.

'Barring any emergencies that come up, we can start the installation process next week. Wheelie and his team are currently working on getting everything ready but before we can really do anything, we need the specs.' Revs explained, watching Mother as she looked at her new limb, trying to wrap her mind around what she was being offered.

'Specs? I thought we'd already figured all that out.' Mother blinked, bringing up the attached specifications file. 'It's all here.'

'Those basic specs are just the first step. From those specs, Wheelie and his team can build the internals and prep the knee joint but they can't put the casing on to cover everything up. We need the measurements of your flesh leg so the outer casing can be shaped to match exactly.' Revs nodded, toying with his medallion. 'Without those measurements, it's going to be blatantly obvious you've got a prosthetic. With them, no one will ever know unless you show it off. Here Tank, I need to borrow you for a moment!'

Looking up when another big black mouse approached, the three friends weren't sure what to make of him. With his snowy white hair, soft pink eyes, burgundy vest, blue jeans and brown boots, he clearly meant business but there was no obvious reason why res would call him over.

'What's up Revs? I've got to get moving or I'll be late for my duty shift at the Clone Wars Memorial.' Tank shrugged, patting the Z-6 slung over his back.

'Just proving a point Tank. This will only take a minute.' Revs replied, turning his attention back to Mother. 'Tank here has a cybernetic leg much like you'll be getting. His is bigger than yours will be, the interface plate is nearly in his hip. But, can you tell which one it is?'

Peering closer, Mother honestly couldn't tell which one was still under denim. Both legs were the same shape, solid muscles barely restrained by the thick cloth. Chuckling softly, Tank reached down and pulled at the denim encasing his left leg, tugging it free to reveal his dazzling orange and brown cybernetic leg, the interface panel hidden in the few inches of denim left below his groin. Folding up the denim cover neatly, Tank opened a small compartment in his outer thigh and shoved the fabric inside out of the way.

'Hope that helped Revs. Now I've really got to run, Blade will have my head if I'm late on shift.' Tank grinned, turning and jogging out of the mess hall, orange and brown catching Mother's eye as he moved.

'Okay, point proven Revs. I'll swing by the infirmary tomorrow so you can take whatever measurements you need.' Mother nodded, looking back at the design she'd roughed out. 'I think I'm going to like this new piece of kit.'

'You'll soon be singing a different song, Mother. Once you've got this new leg, you'll wonder how you ever got by without it.' Revs winked, shaking out his fur and turning back to his meal.


	8. Chapter 8

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Reunion

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

With Veronique sitting vigil for Baba and Mother prepping for her surgery, Rufus found he was bored, so used to constantly having someone around to at least talk to. But over the last week, the mice had backed off a bit, allowing the trio freedom to explore the base and make their own friends. In turn, the trio lowered their walls just a little, opening up to the mice and finding dozens of new friendships among the Martian group.

Wandering through the base, Rufus' unguided feet took him to the training area and he was instantly surrounded by the sounds of sparring and drills. Entering the room, he looked around and smiled, memories of better times flooding into his mind. He missed the fun of testing his strength against his friends, specifically Aloysius but Shane also proved to be a challenge to land a punch on.

Leaning against the wall, he watched the various training rounds going on around him, looking for a suitable partner for a sparring match of his own. When a large, heavy hand landed on his shoulder, Rufus jumped a good two feet and spun around, glaring at whoever had decided to sneak up on him like that. Lifting his gaze, Rufus sighed and shoved at the massive hand on his shoulder, not really that surprised who it was.

For such a big mouse, Security Section Head Falcon moved silently. With his chocolate brown fur and dark brown mane with reddish streaks through it, pale green eyes, black jeans with matching vest and wristbands, grey boots and teal green belt, Falcon didn't look all that threatening until you considered his hulking frame, all seven foot five inches of it, rippling with muscles. Falcon towered over the rest of the unit by at least three inches, not a lot in the long run but he packed a heap of muscle mass in those three inches.

Hanging up his vest and working out of his boots, Falcon stepped onto the padded floor of the training room, turning back to Rufus and waiting, a challenging cant to his shoulders. Chuckling softly, Rufus hung up his jacket, unlaced his boots and tossed his shirt over them before following Falcon onto the mats.

'You sure about this, Rufus?' Falcon asked, heading towards an open area of the floor.

'You might be bigger but I've had my share of tough matches.' Rufus shrugged, fully aware that this fight wasn't likely to be a victory for him.

'Just this once, I'll go easy on you Rufus.' Falcon smirked, dropping into a ready stance.

'Ain't looking for any favours Falcon.' Rufus growled, blocking out all other thoughts as he squared off against Falcon.

To any outside viewer, Rufus' lack of a ready stance indicated he was an untrained fighter, unused to heavy combat right up close and personal. But those who knew him, well they knew better. His lack of ready stance and lowered hands indicated he was truly ready to beat the living shit out of whoever pushed his buttons. It was a technique he'd learnt from his friends, mixing tricks learnt from all of them and coming up with something that was uniquely his.

Dropping under the first punch, Rufus hit the mats and rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding Falcon's reaching tail. Rolling again, Rufus lashed out with both feet, hooking behind Falcon's knee and dragging him down. Getting up, Rufus moved well clear of Falcon, still totally relaxed and calm as the massive mouse regained his feet.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

So glad to be out of prison orange and back in his standard blacks, Aloysius easily ignored the light rubbing of his ankle monitor against his lower calf. Right now, he was far more interested in seeing Rufus again. The last week and a bit had been hell, Aloysius had been unprepared for just how much it would hurt to be separated from Rufus for that long with no chance to see each other again.

Trying to clear his mind, he followed his temporary guide through the base. Crimson seemed like a nice guy, for an overgrown mouse wearing red jeans, teal green biker boots and a purple belt with a blue leather-covered buckle. He was absolutely shameless, his well defined chest and back covered in nothing but pale tan fur. Just out of curiosity, Aloysius had asked if he ever wore a shirt or something. Crimson had just shrugged and explained that his fur was a perfect insulator in all but the coldest of weather.

But the bare-chested behaviour wasn't the strangest thing about Crimson. While most of his fur was pale tan, he had a strange, reddish patch over his head. Starting high on the right side of his face, up near his antennae, it curved down across his face, between his eyes and over his muzzle to his left ear. Pushing his luck, Aloysius had asked about the odd colouration pattern, wondering what had caused it. Crimson had just shrugged and laughed, explaining that he'd been born with such an unusual colouration. It was considered a symbol of good luck, a symbol that his older brother hadn't been born with.

Entering the training room, Aloysius didn't know what to think as Crimson guided him through the crowd and into a spot where they could clearly see just who was brawling in the middle of the room. Everyone else in the room was hollering and cheering for their favoured fighter, even Crimson got in on the action but Aloysius couldn't make a sound.

Rufus looked so much better, the last week of freedom had done him the world of good. He was still a lean, devastating combatant, dancing to the beat of his own drum. His fighting style had changed a little bit, becoming sharper and more grounded but he still knew how to make it appear that he was floating around his opponent.

Mouth going dry, Aloysius could only watch in wonder as Rufus arched over backwards, planted his hands and lashed out with both feet, driving Falcon back as he completed the flip. Scenting victory, Rufus pressed his advantage, breaking into an easy jog and jumping for a little extra height. Both hands locked together, he swung with all his strength, driving Falcon to the mats hard. Landing lightly, Rufus spun to meet the next threat but Falcon was down for the count, crumpled on the mats on his left side.

Regaining his senses, Aloysius shoved his way through the crowd, not really caring about protocol or being respectful to those around him. Breaking from the crowd, he stepped clear of them, admiring Rufus as he celebrated his victory. Turning around, Rufus froze when he saw Aloysius standing there, looking up at him with such pride.

Snapping out of it, Rufus stepped over Falcon and offered out his hands, practically vibrating with excitement and adoration. Breaking into a run, Aloysius didn't care about everyone else around them, he was home at last. Reaching up to grab Rufus by the shoulders, Aloysius kicked off the ground and wrapped his legs around Rufus' hips, refusing to ever be separated again. Stepping back to brace the weight of his best friend and lover, Rufus held him tight, so very glad to be back with Aloysius.

'I've missed you, so much.' Aloysius uttered, drawing back a little.

'Never again, Aloysius. I will never leave you again.' Rufus promised, relaxing his grip and letting Aloysius drop just enough. 'I love you, so much.'

'I love you too, always and forever.' Aloysius grinned, lightly stroking one stubbly cheek. 'You look so different without the beard.'

'It was easier to shave it off and start over than trying to clean up that mess.' Rufus shrugged, bracing Aloysius again now that they were eye to eye. Pausing for a breath, they came together, reaffirming their relationship with a deep kiss.

'Yeah, I'm due for a clean up but I had to see you first.' Aloysius gasped, drawing away slowly.

'Come on, I'll take you home and get you all cleaned up.' Rufus nodded, turning to look as Falcon stirred and sat up. 'You okay, Falcon?'

Left hand pressed to his face, Falcon looked up and signalled he was okay. Squeezing out of the crowd, a much smaller mouse dropped to his knees beside Falcon, brushing his bright orange hair over his shoulder as he guided Falcon's hand away from his face.

'I can't believe you went up against that guy, he's huge.' Aloysius remarked, still refusing to let go of Rufus.

'He about as big as a Wookiee, maybe a little less.' Rufus shrugged, coaxing Aloysius down but not letting him go. 'He offered the challenge, I couldn't resist.'

'I gotta hand it to you Rufus, you pack one hell of a punch.' Falcon groaned, allowing his lover to check him over. 'I'm alright Decal, you know I've got a hard head.'

'It's not your head I'm worried about Falcon.' Decal corrected, lighter brown hands running over Falcon's chest.

'Gah! Take it easy Decal.' Falcon yelped, gently guiding Decal away from his chest.

'About what I expected, you've done your ribs again.' Decal sighed, shaking his head slowly.

'I'll be fine Decal, Revs will patch me up when he's done with surgery.' Falcon grinned, easing carefully to his feet. 'Oh yeah, I'm going to be feeling this fight for a while Rufus.'

Transferring a little more weight onto Aloysius' shoulders, Rufus nodded and offered Falcon his right hand, bruised knuckles turned to the ceiling. Chuckling softly then wincing and pressing one hand against his aching ribs, Falcon nodded and reaching out to grasp Rufus' wrist, furred knuckles pointed to the floor.

'Well fought Falcon. You bring honour to your unit.' Rufus nodded, trying not to show how much he was hurting. 'I am proud to know you as a friend and a fellow warrior.'

'Well fought Rufus. You bring honour to your unit.' Falcon repeated, the phrase a traditional end to a hard fought battle. 'I am proud to know you as a friend and a fellow warrior.'

Dropping their hands, Rufus flinched and pressed his right hand to his ribs, keeping Aloysius tucked close on his left side. Instantly concerned for Rufus' health, Aloysius straightened and took his weight properly, keeping Rufus on his feet.

'You haven't changed a bit Rufus, you're still trying to prove you're a real fighter.' Aloysius chuckled, looking up at his lover.

'Wasn't trying to prove anything. It was just a sparring match, nothing serious.' Rufus grinned, flexing his bruised knuckles slowly.

'This was nothing serious? You're a mess Rufus, busted ribs and all.' Aloysius sighed, stunned by how casual Rufus was about this one.

'Trust me, if this was a serious fight I wouldn't have been so lucky. Falcon made the mistake of underestimating my abilities, I didn't realise he had a freight train in his right fist.' Rufus nodded, rubbing his side lightly. 'And they aren't busted, just bruised and cracked.'

'Rufus is right, this was just for fun. If it was serious, the training hall would be a mess.' Falcon added, looking down at Decal with a grin. 'And a certain someone else would have been involved as well.'

'You got that right.' Decal nodded, relaxing against Falcon's side. 'When it gets serious, Martian law allows for the significant other of both combatants to get involved with the fight.'

'I'll file that away for later use. Next time Rufus, make sure I get invited to the party.' Aloysius smirked, fingers lightly curling into a loose fist. 'I'd like a crack at a new challenge.'

'You'll get one but for now, let's go home.' Rufus promised, hoping to curl up with Aloysius and sleep for a while. 'Who guided you through the base?'

'Crimson, Sniper Section Head.' Aloysius replied, pointing over his shoulder. 'He was standing beside me before I ran into your arms.'

'I know Crimson, he's a good guy to know.' Rufus nodded, looking back over his shoulder. 'I need a favour Crimson.'

'Name it Rufus, I'll do what I can.' Crimson replied, wandering over to them.

'I'm confident that you've already shown Aloysius to his apartment and let him take a look around. Well, we're going to need his gear transferred into my apartment.' Rufus explained, making it clear why without saying anything.

'No sweat, I'll grab some extra bros to lend a hand and we'll get it all packed up. Might take some juggling to fit the gifted gear and personal possessions into your apartment but you'll figure it out.' Crimson shrugged, looking around for a moment. 'Yo, Killer, Magura, I need some help with a transfer among our new guests.'

'On it, Crimson.' a pale grey replied, braiding up his darker grey mane.

'Lead the way, little bro.' another light tan mouse added, making his way through the gathering.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Amazed by how quickly Martian anaesthetic wore off, Mother sat up and flicked the covers back, admiring her new cybernetic leg. It was exactly as she'd imagined it would look, rich red plating highlighted with extensive blue and white pin striping, all centralised around a golden EGA in the middle of her shin. Resting her new knee on the bed, se examined the back of the solid calf, tracing over the shining silver letter spelling out Ralph.

Looking up when the curtains parted, Mother relaxed when senior medic Shard entered, a fond smile on his handsome grey face. He just went to further proving the wide variety accepted in Martians, soft grey fur covering most of his body, except for a dark brown patch that covered his chest and abdomen, ending in jagged lines around his upper chest, shoulders and mid thighs. Mother hadn't seen the lower part of the brown, she took Shard's word for it.

Flipping his reddish-brown mane over his shoulder, Shard nodded and reached out for Mother's left leg, catching it when Mother turned to him.

'How's it feeling so far?' he asked, popping over the hidden access panels and checking everything was settling properly.

'So far, it feels great. I'm still getting used to the feedback, I'm not used to feeling the bedding with my left toes.' Mother grinned, leaning back on her hands as he continued doing final checks. 'It still feels a little heavy but Tank told me that was normal in the first few days.'

'Yeah, you'll soon adjust to the weight. Once you get up and start using this, it'll all start to feel natural.' Shard replied, doing his last few checks and releasing Mother's leg.

'So how much longer am I going to be laid up?' Mother asked, looking down at flesh and cybernetics just waiting for action.

'In truth, you've been laid up far longer than normal for someone in your situation. You've been up and walking on temps, not hobbling around on crutches for months on end. So, if you're feeling strong enough, you can take it for a spin right now.' Shard shrugged, taking a half step back and offering his hands. 'I'll be right here to support you until you get your balance.'

Reaching out to grip Shard's forearms firmly, Mother slid off the bed, thud-clicking against the floor as she stood on her own two feet again. Waiting for her to find her balance, Shard stepped back a little more, coaxing Mother to follow him and get used to what she had. Looking down at her mismatched feet, Mother lifted her right foot, feeling the way her cybernetic knee shifted and adjusted to bearing her weight alone. Planting her right again, he flexed out her new knee, just getting used to how easily it moved. Moving her ankle and wriggling the finely crafted toes, she smiled and looked up, stepping closer to Shard.

One step at a time, Shard guided her out form behind the curtains and slowly walked the length of the ward, constantly supporting Mother until she really got used to her new leg.

'Ready to try something a little more challenging?' Shard asked, satisfied with how Mother was adjusting to this.

'Yeah, I think so.' Mother nodded, aware of how she was standing as she waited for Shard to do whatever he was planning.

'Just relax, I'll be right here if you stumble.' Shard soothed, releasing his hands and stepping back again. 'I'm right here, it's okay.'

'I can do this.' Mother grinned, stepping off with her left and getting a real feel for what she had now. 'This is amazing Shard.'

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Cleaned up and feeling so much better, Shane, David and Buck followed a thin, white mouse along the corridors, wondering where he was taking them. He'd introduced himself as Shift, junior medic but that was about all he'd said. Strong and lithe, he didn't look like a medic in his red jeans, brown boots and black leather belt with yellow leather-covered buckle, he was an unconventional medic but he was adamant of his position. Long brown hair pulled into an off centre ponytail, he walked with great purpose, black-tipped tail flicking around his ankles.

Entering the infirmary, Shift led them into one of the offshoot wards and relaxed, drawing their attention to the pair at the other end of the room. Following his indicating hand, the trio weren't sure what he was pointing at until the taller mouse turned away to reveal Mother standing on her own two feet but that wasn't her usual prosthetic.

Lifting her gaze, Mother noticed the trio and broke into the biggest smile, easing away from the other mouse and making her way up the length of the ward. Shaking off his shock, Shane was the first to move, jogging down the ward to disappear into her powerful arms. Stepping back onto her left foot, Mother hoisted him off his feet, so glad to be back with her friends and especially Scarecrow.

'You're looking better than ever Mother.' Shane commented, holding on around her shoulders.

'I owe it all to this Martian medical team. With their help, I'm better than ever.' Mother chuckled, setting Shane down and tapping her steel toes against the floor. 'This one won't come off in a hurry.'

'I'd suggest you give it another week before taking it off, let the systems integrate properly.' Shard suggested, coming up beside them.

'I've got no intention of ever taking it off, I love this thing.' Mother replied, looking down at her beautiful new leg. 'This thing has nothing on my first one, it's the best.'

'It really looks good Mother.' Buck offered, walking up to join them. 'It's definitely you.'

'No surprise there, Mother designed the final look of the piece. We just turned her rough design into reality.' Shift shrugged, admiring the design from a distance.

Leading her friends back to her bed, Mother settled quickly and offered out her cybernetic leg, relaxed and confident as Shane lightly ran his hands over the polished finish. He jumped when she twitched her toes and a rather frightening set of claws folded out from between the toes.

'What the fuck Mother?' he yelped, getting his hands well away from those sharp looking claws.

'Oops, sorry about that Scarecrow.' Mother replied, flexing out her toes until the claws snapped back inside her foot. 'I'm still getting used to this thing.'

'Just what else is this thing meant to do?' Buck asked, reaching out to tip Mother's foot back so they could look at the round thing on the bottom.

'That is a shock generator, not sure how much help it'll be but a lot of guys with cybernetic feet have them. You just saw my climbing claws, those are a well loved addition as well. Apart from that, I've got a hideaway pistol and combat studs in the knee and shin.' Mother explained, tapping at a plate hidden behind Ralph's name and catching the small pistol that dropped out.

'Combat studs?' Shane asked, daring to run his hand over Mother's leg again.

'Yeah, nasty little fuckers those. This outer plating might look smooth but in a hand-to-hand situation, where I feel threatened, I can deploy 24 sharpened studs from the shin and knee plates. About three inches long, the studs are sharpened to deadly points.' Mother nodded, concentrating for a moment before the studs emerged, lethal points glistening in the light.

'Holy shit, you could gut someone with those things.' David uttered, reaching out to lightly touch the stud rising up from the EGA on her shin.

^*^#^*^#^*^#^*^

Listening to the normal, steady rhythms of the medical instruments hooked up to Jean-Claude, Veronique smiled faintly as she sipper her kaf, just waiting for the big day when he would rejoin them. Revs had informed her that the others were free and safe, settling into the pattern of life in the Martian base but she wasn't interested in seeing Shane right now, she would much prefer to stay with Jean-Claude until he woke.

Looking up from her thoughts when a beep sounded out of rhythm, Veronique got the shock of her life. Revs had told her that he didn't expect Jean-Claude to regain consciousness for another week, but as she peered closer, Veronique had a feeling that once again, he was going to prove people wrong. He was starting to stir, eyes flicking behind his eyelids as he came up.

'Revs, I need you in the ICU immediately.' Veronique called, not daring to take her eyes of Jean-Claude, just in case.

"What is it Veronique?" Revs asked, his voice rough with sleep.

'Your estimation of when Jean-Claude would awaken was wrong. He is stirring right now.' Veronique warned, tapping on the glass to get Jean-Claude's attention.

"That's impossible, I'm never out by that much. You must be misreading the situation." Revs groaned, not at all pleased with being woken for this.

'I am not misreading this Revs. As we speak, I am looking him in the eye. Jean-Claude is not happy about his current situation.' Veronique pushed, wishing she knew what else to do. 'Calm down, Jean-Claude, it's okay.'

"Alright, I'm on my way Veronique. Do what you can to keep him calm until I get there." Revs sighed, something rattling in the background from his end. "If necessary, call for Shift to let you into his room. But only if he becomes extremely agitated."

'I understand Revs. Please hurry.' Veronique nodded, cutting the contact and turning her full attention to Jean-Claude.

Tapping on the glass again, Veronique reached out to double check the comm system into the room was fully active and ready. The check indicated that Jean-Claude had heard what was said, even though he probably had no idea what was going on outside his room. Hopefully communicating with him wouldn't bee too much of a challenge but with the wounds to his throat and a week of silence on top of the intubation tube that had only been removed the day before, there was no way to be certain.

'Jean-Claude, it's me, Renard. Can you hear me, Jean-Claude?' she asked, one hand pressed to the glass. 'Any signal you can give, just let me know you can hear me Baba.'

"Renard…what…I…" Jean-Claude uttered, totally confused and trying to understand where he was now.

'It's alright Jean-Claude, just relax. You are free now Jean-Claude, you were granted your release hours after the attack that almost killed you. You have spent the last week unconscious, in the care of a very talented medical team, they dragged you back from the edge of death. Do not fight now, you are still healing for your serious injuries.' Veronique explained, so relieved to finally hear Jean-Claude speak.

"David?" Jean-Claude asked, lowering his head slowly back into the soft embrace of his pillow.

'He is alive and well. I saw him a few hours ago, he's just fine. We are all fine, now we're just waiting for you to heal up.' Veronique smiled, picking up her kaf mug. 'We've been so worried about you Jean-Claude.'

Turning to look when the ICU doors opened, Veronique sagged when Revs strode in, just pulling on his vest as he approached the window.

'Okay Veronique, I'm here and I don't see any signs to indicate Jean-Claude is awake.' he sighed, peering into the room.

'Jean-Claude, this is CMO Revs. He has been taking care of you since your release.' Veronique grinned, not taking her eyes off her dearest friend.

"Thank you Revs." Jean-Claude nodded, lifting one hand a few inches before relaxing again.

'I don't believe it.' Revs uttered, shaking his head in disbelief. 'After all the work we put into him, he should be out for another week.'

'Jean-Claude has a habit of surprising people. Remember, he survived getting shot in the chest, a hit that would have killed a lesser man.' Veronique shrugged, looking up at Revs.

'You have a point there Veronique.' Revs nodded, reaching for his access card. 'On the up side, this shock means Jean-Claude could be transferred into the ward a lot sooner than expected.'

'That would make things easier. I am not the only one worried for his health.' Veronique agreed, her message clear to Revs.

'I'm not even going to try and guess on timing anymore, Jean-Claude is just going to prove me wrong again.' Revs shrugged, accessing the room and leaving the door open a crack as he approached the bed. 'Alright Jean-Claude, just relax and let me have a look at how you're healing up. You might get a few more visitors later, if you're feeling up to it.'

'Non, I think I'll just go back to sleep.' Jean-Claude replied, eyes drooping closed again.


End file.
